New Student
by rdjfanfic
Summary: This takes place when Nathan Gardner is not a principle anymore. He teaches AP World History for Juniors and one day, he gets a new student.  Decided to continue this. I'm starting from part eight. So, reread if you have to.
1. Chapter 1

Her name is Janelle Smith and she transferred to a Western Summit High School. She hated being the new student, but since her Dad got a new job, she had to move. She has hazel eyes and long dark brown layered straight hair that passed her shoulders and she was the only child. Her friends always told her she had the most beautiful smile and that she was so pretty. Janelle heard rumors about Western Summit and a guy named Charlie Bartlett who had just graduated two years ago. She laughed at how easy he got away with it. The principal must have been oblivious. It was January and it was cold out. That's one thing Janelle liked so far, the cold. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, but not too skinny. She wore a white hoodie under a black leather jacket and she was wearing white Vans. She wore glasses and was wearing her black Ray Bans. Janelle came from California so she knew how to dress well. She put on her black Jansport backpack and walked into her new school. Her Dad dropped her off and told her to go to the principal's office to get her schedule. This day would be one of the worst. Apparently, school already started because no one was in the halls. This was also new for Janelle. Western Summit was an indoor school. In California, all the schools over there were out door. She was sort of glad that they had lockers so she wouldn't have to be carrying her backpack around all day. Anyways, she went to the principal's office and the principal seemed nice. She was white with blond curly hair that reached her shoulders. Her name was Mrs. Wright.

"I would like to welcome you to Western Summit, Janelle." Mrs. Wright smiled at Michelle.

"Thanks."

"So, you are a junior?"

"Yes."

"Alright, here is your schedule and your locker number and combination. I am glad to have you in my school."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wright."

When Michelle read her schedule, she could not believe the classes they gave her.

_Period 1: AP World_

_Period 2: Pre Calculus _

_Period 3: PE_

_Period 4: AP English 5/6_

_Period 5: Photography ½_

_Period 6: Chemistry _

Janelle immediately wanted to run out of the school and just go 'home.' Wherever home was. She hated having History for first period because she never really liked the subject and having it in the morning would just bore her out of her mind. When she finally found the room, she entered and everyone was staring at her. All the girls gave her dirty looks, while all the guys were staring at how pretty she was. The teacher's name was Mr. Gardner. Janelle was surprised at how her teacher looked. He looked handsome to her opinion and when he smiled, she couldn't help but smile too.

"Um, how may I help you?" Mr. Gardner asked her.

"Oh, I'm new."

"Oh, you must be Janelle." He smiled at her.

"Yup." She smiled back.

"Well, Janelle, I'm Mr. Gardner, nice to meet you." He held his hand out for her to shake and she gladly accepted and shook his hand. His hand was so smooth and soft, she thought.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"You can take a seat over there." He pointed towards the back of the room near a very cute guy. Janelle took out her binder and pencil and did whatever Mr. Gardner told the class to do. The guy she was sitting next to was very attractive. He had black short hair and he looked Asian and had brown eyes. He was wearing a WSHS gray sweater with dark blue skinny jeans with black converse. When I looked at him, he smiled and his smile was amazing to her.

"_Hi._" He passed her a note. Janelle laughed quietly.

"_Hey._" She wrote back.

"_I'm Jay. :)_" He wrote back.

"_I'm Janelle._"

"_You're very pretty._" Janelle smiled to herself, but she tried paying attention to what Mr. Gardner was saying about The Holocaust, but she couldn't pay attention.

"_You're pretty cute yourself._" Janelle gave him the note and he looked at her. He smiled at her again and Mr. Gardner saw looked at the both of us before speaking.

"Jay, stop flirting." Everyone laughed.

"That's your fault, Mr. Gardner. You put her next to me." Mr. Gardner laughed at that.

"You're right, Jay. She is pretty, isn't she? Well, enough of that, stop flirting or I'll move her up to the front." Janelle smiled at Mr. Gardner when he complimented her.

"She is pretty, very pretty." Jay looked at Janelle and she smiled at him.

"Alright, enough. Get the books up here and begin your assignments." Mr. Gardner said to the class. Janelle waited until everyone got a book because she didn't like going up there and having to wait. When she got up, there were no more books.

"Um, Mr. Gardner?" Janelle stood at her desk and he looked up at her, removing his glasses. She was speechless at the sight of her teacher.

"Yes?"

"There are no more books left…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I think you'll have to share with Jay." He smiled at me.

"Jay! Share your book with Janelle." Mr. Gardner yelled.

"Thank you, Mr. Gardner!" Jay yelled back. When Janelle looked back at Jay he was all smiles. She turned back to Mr. Gardner and thanked him. When she was walking back to her desk, she could feel Mr. Gardner's eyes on her. The bell rang and Janelle and Jay didn't do any work at all. They were just talking to each other and Janelle was happy she at least made one friend, a cute one, too. Janelle was the last one to leave.

"It's a pleasure to have you in my class, Janelle." Mr. Gardner smiled at her before she left.

"Thanks." Janelle's other classes were boring and during lunch she was alone. She didn't eat; she just sat at the table, texting. It was cool that the school was indoor, but lunch was outdoor. It was weird that the teachers also ate outside with their students. Janelle didn't really pay attention to the people around her, the looks she was getting from other girls, or anything. She put her phone on her back pocket and saw a girl giving her a deadly look. Janelle isn't the type of person who lets something like that go, so she gave that girl a deadly look back. Next thing you know, that girl was walking towards Janelle. When she reached to where Janelle was at, she just stood there looking at her.

"Take a picture, it'll last long." Janelle smiled at her.

"Excuse me?" The girl sounded annoyed.

"I didn't stutter."

"Do you know who I am? I'm Ashley Adams, the most popular girl in the school!" She was yelling at Janelle now, but she didn't really care who she was.

"I didn't ask who you were." Janelle said, sarcastically.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Oh, someone you don't need to know. You can leave now." Janelle said, still not caring.

"Hell no! I'm not leaving!" Ashley said.

"Bye." Janelle stood up and walked past her.

"Come back here!"

"What do you want?" Janelle and Ashley were staring at each other, eye to eye. They were the same height and now everyone was watching us. Even the teachers. What type of school is this?

"Why were you talking to my boyfriend, Jay?" She asked, still yelling.

"Why not?" Janelle smiled at her, again which made Ashley even more irritated.

"He's mine, not yours." Ashley was still yelling.

"That's cool." Janelle said, not even making her voice rise.

"Back off of him."

"No, thanks. By the way, he's just a friend." Janelle said, walking away from her. Ashley pushed her from behind and everyone started gathering around them. Janelle kept walking because she did not want to get into a fight on the first day of being at her new school. Ashley pulled her so that they were facing each other. Ashley was looking angry, but Janelle still looked calm as ever.

"What? You going to hit me?" Janelle asked. Ashley clenched her fist and hit Janelle. Everyone around them was yelling, 'fight! Fight! Fight!' Ashley was walking away now, smiling because she hit Janelle. Although, Janelle would not go down without a fight.

"Hey, Ashley." Ashley turned around and Janelle hit her so hard she fell to the floor. Janelle bent down and looked at her.

"It was nice meeting you, Ashley." Then Janelle got up and walked away. The teachers finally did something about it and most of them helped Ashley up and bring her to the nurse. One teacher, Mr. Gardner took Janelle by the arm and was leading her to the office.

"What are you doing?" Janelle yelled, trying to break free from his strong grip.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"Did you not see that? She hit me first."

"I know, but now they told me to bring you the principal's office."

"This shit is stupid. I hate this school." Janelle said, finally breaking free of his grip and walked faster than him.

"Wait up, Janelle!"

"Mr. Gardner, stop. I know the way, I don't need guidance. Don't worry, I won't get into any other fights while going there." Janelle clenched her fist and hit the door. Mr. Gardner saw her and her hand was bleeding. Her knuckles were bruised and cut.

"Why the hell did you that for?" Mr. Gardner asked as he caught up to her.

"Why the hell not?" Janelle snickered.

"I never expected you to be the type of girl who gets into trouble." Mr. Gardner said.

"I don't." Janelle and Mr. Gardner entering the principal's office.

"Miss Smith! This is your first day at Western Summit and you already got into a fight?" Mrs. Wright was yelling.

"She hit me first. I just used self-defense." Janelle replied as she was looking at her bleeding knuckles.

"That is no excuse! I will have to talk to you later. Nathan, bring Miss Smith here to the nurse's office to bandage her fist, please."

"Okay." Mr. Gardner said.

"So, your name is Nathan?" Janelle asked.

"Yes, it is."

"That's cute." Janelle was out of her mind for saying that to her forty-something year old teacher, but she couldn't deny the fact that he was so handsome and looked younger than his age.

"That is not appropriate, Janelle."

"It's also inappropriate to call me pretty." He looked at her and smiled.

"You got me. Anyways, the nurse will fix your hand and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks." The nurse was nice and she agreed that it was a good idea that Janelle hit Ashley back since she hit her first. Janelle had to walk home since it was just a couple of blocks away and Janelle didn't have a ride home, anyways. When she got home, her Mom already found out what had happened.

"Sweetie, do you want to talk about it?" Janelle's Mom asked.

"Mom, do you believe that it's not my fault?" Janelle replied.

"I know it isn't, but you still shouldn't have hit her."

"Mom, she hit me first. What was I supposed to do? Make everyone think I'm a coward?"

"No, honey, but – never mind. Are you okay, though?" Janelle's Mom was pointing to her right hand.

"Yeah, it's nothing." Janelle decided to take a shower and once she locked the bathroom door, she began to cry. She turned on the shower, so her Mom wouldn't hear her crying. She hated this place. She just wanted to go back home.


	2. Chapter 2

After Janelle took a long shower, she ended up having no problems with sleep. Once she got to her bed, her eyes were red from crying and she went to sleep quickly. Her alarm woke her up and she didn't even want to go to school. She had to walk to and from school, which she didn't like. She wasn't used the bell schedule for West Summit, so when she got to the school at around 7:30, she was early. Very early. Her hair was straightened and she was wearing her old high school's grey sweater with dark blue jeans. She was also wearing her black converse. She took her white G-shock and put it on her left wrist. She took her glasses and her backpack and left. Janelle didn't bother to say bye to her parents because they were still sleeping and she didn't want to disturb them. She put her backpack in her locker and only managed to bring her iPod and her notebook and pencil for first period. She was walking around campus and she hated the school so much that she wanted to ditch, but she didn't. She wasn't that type of girl; her parents expected much more from her and she didn't want to disappoint them. Her iPod was blasted so loud that she wasn't able to hear anything but her music. This was how she relieved her stress or her anger; blasting her iPod so loud that she would shut out the world. Janelle checked her watch and it said 7:45. She decided to go to her first period already. Mr. Gardner's door was closed, but not locked. She turned the handle to see no students in their seats and only Mr. Gardner at his desk looking over papers. He looked up as he saw Janelle open the door.

"Wow, you know, you're really early."

"Yeah, I guess." Janelle replied, walking to her seat and removing one of her earphones.

"Oh, you don't sit there anymore. You sit up here." Janelle stopped in front of his desk and gave him a confused look. Janelle thought Mr. Gardner was just doing that so she wouldn't get into trouble in his class, honestly, she didn't care at all. She took her new seat up front and it was facing his desk, perfectly. She put her earphones back on and opened her notebook. Janelle started drawing. Students started walking into first period, but since she couldn't hear anything or anyone, she didn't notice, until Mr. Gardner walked over to her seat and stood over her. Janelle looked up at her teacher, irritated and said, "Um, yes?"

"Janelle, class is about to begin, can you please turn your iPod off?" Janelle didn't answer; instead she just removed her earphones and put it in her pocket. She didn't really pay attention to what Mr. Gardner was saying because she kept on drawing. She didn't care if Mr. Gardner saw her not paying attention or not doing work. When the bell rang, she was the first one out. She wanted to get this day over with. When lunch came, she passed Ashley and Ashley gave her a dirty look, but Janelle just simply smiled and kept on walking. The last bell rang for school to end and she was at her locker gathering her things so she could walk home. She didn't realize how far her locker was from the school's entrance. Janelle put on her backpack and blaster her music again. Everyone in the hall was gone by the time she got her stuff. She was walking and didn't notice who she bumped into.

"Oh, my bad." Janelle said, not really caring who it was. When she looked up, it was her teacher, Mr. Gardner.

"Yeah, it's your bad." Mr. Gardner laughed and Janelle just forced a smile.

"You come to school early, yet you leave school late."

"It's not really late, Mr. Gardner."

"Come to my classroom, I need to talk to you." Janelle didn't notice before, but Mr. Gardner's classroom was near the school's entrance. When Janelle walked behind Mr. Gardner, she couldn't help but notice that he had a nice butt. She grinned to herself, but once they got to the classroom, the grin disappeared. Mr. Gardner sat in his seat at his desk while Janelle just stood over his desk.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Janelle asked.

"Why weren't you paying attention in class earlier?" Mr. Gardner said, removing his glasses.

"Look, Mr. Gardner, I really don't need a lecture right now. I've got to go." Mr. Gardner stood in Janelle's way.

"You're smart, why waste it?"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Mr. Gardner. Sure, I'm smart, but I can care less." Janelle tried to reach for the door to open it, but Mr. Gardner would not let her through.

"Sit down, please."

"Why, Mr. Gardner? To hear a lecture from you then go home and get another lecture from my parents?"

"Talk to me. Why do you hate it here? I mean, I know it must be hard –"

"No you don't know how hard it is. How hard it is to make new friends and start over. To get in a fight on the first day and _I_ get in trouble for it. This school is shit, no wonder things got out of hand a couple years back with a guy named Charlie Bartlett. I wonder which idiot principal let him get away with selling drugs before a guy had to overdose to find out." Janelle raised her voice and she was getting mad because Mr. Gardner didn't get it, he didn't get the fact that she just simply hated starting over.

"I was the idiot principal." Mr. Gardner looked away, but still stood in Janelle's way.

"Oh, sorry." Janelle felt guilty for saying that, but she was still angry.

"Listen, I know this school isn't the best school, but you're going to have to deal with it since you live here." Mr. Gardner thought that he was calming her down, but Janelle was far from calming down.

"Can I leave now? I have to walk home and it's getting dark."

"Here, let me give you a ride and before you deny, I'm not taking a no for an answer." Mr. Gardner locked his classroom door before leading Janelle to his car. She sat down in the passenger seat with her backpack on her lap. Janelle told him the address of her house and he knew where it was.

"So, why exactly did you move here?" Mr. Gardner asked.

"My Dad got a new job."

"Oh."

"Yup." There was an awkward silence, but Janelle didn't really find it weird that she was in the same car as her teacher. She didn't really care because she didn't want to walk home.

"So, tell me. How'd you react when you found out?"

"That's a stupid question. I was pissed, duh. I wanted to runaway right when I found out." When Janelle and Mr. Gardner arrived at her driveway, she took her backpack, and got out of the car.

"Thanks, Mr. Gardner."

"No problem. Janelle, if you have any problems, you can always talk to me." Janelle smiled at that and she was glad she knew she can rely on someone, even if they were a teacher. She felt much better after hearing that.


	3. Chapter 3

Janelle opened the door to find her Mom sitting on the couch looking worried. When her Mom saw her come in, she rushed to Janelle and gave her the biggest hug.

"Where have you been, young lady?" She then turned serious as she closed the door behind Janelle.

"Mr. Gardner was talking to me and he thought it would be better if he gave me a ride home instead of walking." Janelle said, walking towards the stairs. She turned around to face her Mom, "Don't worry, Mom, I'm fine."

"Well, that was nice of him."

"Yup, he's pretty cool for a teacher." Janelle went to her room and took a shower before starting on her homework. Even though Mr. Gardner was a nice teacher and very understanding, he assigned a lot of homework. She had to take notes for his class which was about ten pages long. Her Mom called me to dinner when Janelle was in the middle of doing notes, not even close to being finished and it was already 7:30.

"So, what was he talking to you about?" Janelle's Mom asked.

"Who?" Her Dad interrupted, looking a bit confused.

"Oh, Mr. Gardner, honey. He gave her a ride home because he thought it would be a lot safer."

"Has he tried anything on you? If he does, I swear, the things I would do that man!" Janelle's Dad became angry. Who could blame him?

"Dad, it's nothing like that. We were talking about the incident that happened yesterday and asked why I moved here and all that. Plus, he wouldn't have to be the one trying anything on me." Janelle laughed and her parents just gave her a weird look.

"What? He's way too cute to be a teacher." Janelle said and her parents started laughing.

"He's so old, dear." Janelle's Mom said.

"Age is nothing but a number, Mom." Janelle winked and her Dad shook his head, smiling. They finished eating and Janelle went back up to her room to finish her notes. She turned on her music to help her relax. It was already eleven o'clock and she still wasn't half way done. Next thing she knew, she fell asleep. Her parents thought she had already left for school, so Janelle woke up pretty late. She panicked, not because she was late, but because she didn't finish her homework. She was never the type of person who never finished her homework. Janelle took a shower and got ready. She didn't have time to put on her contacts, so she just grabbed her glasses and left. She was wearing a floral blouse under a black cardigan with beige jeans and black flats. She put on her gold locket, which had a picture of her and her grandmother in it, and she wore her cross earrings. She put on her black g-shock and she straightened her hair and left for school. When she arrived at Western Summit, the people at the office gave her a dirty look. Supposedly, they didn't like Janelle because she hit Ashley. Oh well, who cares. She got a tardy slip and went to first period. Class started about twenty minutes ago and when she walked in, everyone looked at her for a second then went back to listening to Mr. Gardner speak. Mr. Gardner saw her and excused himself.

"Alright, guys. Do the bookwork that's on the board and I'll be back." Mr. Gardner said to the class. He pulled Janelle by the elbow and took her outside the classroom. He closed the door behind him and looked at Janelle from top to bottom.

"You know, it's not really appropriate to check out your students, Mr. Gardner." Janelle laughed.

"I was not checking you out." Mr. Gardner said.

"I didn't say you were checking me out. But now that you mention it –"

"Alright, enough. Why are you late?" Mr. Gardner interrupted her.

"Well, I overslept because I stayed up last night TRYING to do the notes you gave us to do. Which I have to say is A LOT of work for one night."

"Well, it's AP World, get used to it honey." He winked at her and opened the door for her for a sign to sit down at her desk. The class was doing bookwork and Janelle was trying to finish her notes so she could turn them in at the end of the class. Mr. Gardner was at his desk, looking over some papers. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. To Janelle, he looked stressed. Janelle noticed she was staring way too long at her very handsome teacher and tried to finish her notes. By the time the bell rang for the class to end, she was finished. She was the last one out because she had to gather her things. She went up to Mr. Gardner's desk and threw the ten pages of notes on his desk. He looked up at her confused.

"What's this?"

"The notes from last night's homework."

"Oh, thank you." Janelle noticed that Mr. Gardner's prep period was second period. He looked at her when she didn't leave to go to her next class. "What are you still doing here? You're going to be late for second period."

"Why do you look stressed?" Janelle asked, not even answering his question.

"How do you know I'm stressed?"

"Trust me, I know. So why are you?"

"You should really be getting to class." He was trying to change the subject, but Janelle was the type of girl who doesn't give up until she gets an answer.

"Mr. Gardner, I'm serious. Last night you told me that you'd be there for me if I needed someone to talk to, and guess what? I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to." Janelle sat back down at her desk and Mr. Gardner got up to close his door and took a seat next to her. He angled his seat so that they were facing each other. He was looking intently at Janelle. She was about to faint from the look her teacher was giving her. His eyes made her stomach turn. His smile made her heart beat faster than she expected.

"Well, budget cuts, my daughter, basically money."

"Oh, well I can't say I understand, but what about your daughter?"

"She's at college with her boyfriend, Charlie, and the father I am, I get worried when she doesn't call, you know?"

"Yeah, well, every father has to let go of his princess sometime." Janelle's hands were together on her desk and she kept looking down at them. She looked up when Mr. Gardner placed his hands on top of hers.

"Thank you, that helped me a lot." Janelle smiled, but not even moving her hands because she loved the way Mr. Gardner's hands felt. Smooth and so soft. When Mr. Gardner took his hands off of hers, she looked up, again only to see those big brown eyes of his.

"You know, you have beautiful eyes." Mr. Gardner told her.

"Is Mr. Gardner flirting with me?" They both laughed.

"Only if you want me to." Mr. Gardner winked at her playfully.

"Well, thank you. So do you." Janelle smiled and so did Mr. Gardner.

"You're late for your second period." Mr. Gardner said.

"I'd rather stay here."

"I'd rather you stay here, too, but you've got to class." Janelle got up and was walking towards the door when Mr. Gardner grabbed her wrist gently and turned her around to face him. They were so close that their noses were touching.

"I'm giving you a ride home later on, okay?" Mr. Gardner said.

"Sure." Janelle replied and with that, Mr. Gardner gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was stunned and she felt her cheeks begin to heat up and turn to light pink. When she walked out of his classroom, she felt all these butterflies in her stomach. Somehow, she was sort of excited that Mr. Gardner would be giving her a ride home later on.


	4. Chapter 4

Janelle went through school trying not to think about what will happen when Mr. Gardner gives her a ride home later. But, school ended faster than she had expected. The school bell rang and she went to her locker to get her stuff and she went to his classroom. She waited at his door, waiting until he was finished with whatever he was doing. Mr. Gardner got out the classroom and locked it behind him. He had his stuff with him and he looked half-surprised and half-happy when he saw Janelle waiting for him.

"Hey." Mr. Gardner smiled at her, walking out the school.

"Are you sure you're okay with giving me a ride home? Because I can wal –" Janelle was now walking side by side with him and she felt like a burden for getting rides from a teacher.

"It's not safe to walk. I don't mind, do you?" They reached his car and she just stood there.

"Well, no."

"Well, then come on." He opened the door for her to get in the passenger seat. Janelle buckled her seat belt and put her bag on her lap, patiently waiting what this drive will lead to. Mr. Gardner got in the driver's seat and started the car and there was an awkward silence between them both.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier, Janelle. I was out of line and I shouldn't have kissed you on the cheek."

"Sure you're sorry." Janelle teased him and the awkward silence was out the window.

"Seriously, you're like, what, sixteen, maybe seventeen, I shouldn't be doing that. I'm your teacher."

"Well, apology accepted. It did make all my fantasies come true, though. If that makes you feel any better." Janelle nudged his arm and he laughed.

"You have fantasies about me?" He raised an eyebrow and started to smirk.

"Yeah, I bet everyone in that school does. Who wouldn't? Have you looked at yourself? Those eyes. That smile. The way you raise your eyebrows when you laugh."

"Janelle, I'm flattered."

"Yeah, sure. Just speaking the truth, Gardner." Janelle felt more comfortable now. Her arm was on the armrest and Mr. Gardner's hand fell to hers. They both looked at their touching hands and entwined them together. When they reached Janelle's house, Mr. Gardner shook his head and pulled their entwined hands together.

"Janelle, I'm sorry, we shouldn't be doing this. I'm sorry, really. I think it's best if we don't speak to each other about this, or speak to each other at all." There was a long pause. Janelle didn't say anything; instead she just got out of the car quickly as she can. She slammed the car door shut and ran straight up to her room. Luckily, her parents weren't home because if they were, they would have made a big deal about it. Janelle thought she was stupid for liking her teacher in that way, but then again, she felt somewhat sad. She went downstairs to watch TV and she fell asleep before her parents got home and when she woke up, she was tucked in her bed. She smiled at the fact that her Dad must've brought her up to her room. She yawned and scratched her eyes to make her vision clear. Suddenly, the thought of what happened appeared in her mind and she didn't feel like going to school today. So, she told her parents that morning that she wasn't feeling well and thought that for once, they were going to listen and make her stay at home, but they checked her temperature and it was at a normal degree, so they told her to go to school. She didn't really want to go to first period, so she ditched. She came back at around the middle of fourth period and once the bell rang, she went to her locker and grabbed her iPod. She was walking down the hall when she saw winter sport try-outs plastered on the wall. She grabbed the small piece of paper and read it through. Girl's Basketball try-outs were tomorrow (Saturday) and she was thinking of trying out. If she was going to live here, she might as well live it up the way she wants to, and to her, that's playing basketball. The school day was over and she didn't see Mr. Gardner the entire day and she was glad. While she was walking home, she saw Mr. Gardner's car pull up to the curb and yelling something out to her. Janelle didn't really care what he said, partly because she couldn't hear what he was saying because of her music. Instead, she just kept walking, ignoring Mr. Gardner because the yesterday he said it would be best if they don't talk and that's exactly what she's going to do.

"I'm trying out for basketball and tryouts are tomorrow." Janelle said at the dinner table.

"Really? I know you'll make it, sweet heart." Janelle's Dad said in excitement. He always wanted her to play basketball because he had played basketball when he was in high school, plus, he also taught her how to play.

"Thanks, Dad."

"I agree with you, honey. Janelle, you'll do great." Janelle's Mom said, with a really wide smile on her face, but not sounding as excited as her Dad. She wasn't really into sports like Janelle was. The tryouts were tomorrow at noon and Janelle was nervous because she thought what if she wasn't good enough? What if there were other people better than her? She brushed those thoughts off and was now on her way to Western Summit High to tryout. She was wearing black shorts with high Nike socks and a white shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had her duffle bag with her. When she entered the Gym there was no turning back. She was thirty minutes early and there were other girls there shooting around. Janelle went over to a table to give them her athletic packet. They wished her luck and she went to the bleachers and put her shoes on. They told her that she could shoot around until the Coach comes. Her heart was beating rapidly because she really wanted to just get up and leave, but at the same time, she was excited. She went to an available court and started shooting around. Once she had a basketball in her hand, she felt like she was in her own world, she was always felt that when she was playing basketball. And don't even start when she starts dribbling, her cross-overs are so quick, as well with her spins; all thanks to her Dad. She could never beat her Dad, but once she started practicing her shooting and especially her dribbling, she could beat him. Janelle's Dad can also dribble as well as her, but Janelle would like to think she was better, though, her Dad would fairly disagree. Janelle did a spin into a cross-over and put it in for a lay-up. When she made the basket, everyone that was there was looking at her in complete awe. A girl walked up to her, basketball tucked in her arm. She was tall. Taller than Janelle.

"Wow, you're good."

"Thanks." Janelle said, she looked nice.

"I'm Kasey." She stuck her hand out for Janelle to shake, and Janelle gladly accepted.

"I'm Janelle, nice to meet you." They were shooting around with each other and they got along well. More girls came in and were told to line up from shortest to tallest; that's where Janelle and Kasey parted ways. They told each other good luck and Janelle felt sort of happy that she had made another friend.

"Okay, Coach isn't here yet, but start warming up." One of the people at the table told the girls and they gathered in a circle to stretch first. While they were stretching, Janelle saw the Coach come in. She shut her eyes and she couldn't believe her luck – or misfortune. It was Mr. Gardner. He was the Coach for Girls' Basketball and she could not believe it. Mr. Gardner saw her instantly and smiled at her. Janelle looked away and continued stretching.

"Alright, girls! Line up. Shortest to tallest, again." Mr. Gardner yelled. They lined up and Janelle was fairly in the middle, she wasn't too short nor was she too tall. She was at an average height, about 5'4".

"Alright, looks good. Who's ready to play some basketball?" Everyone else yelled in excitement, while Janelle just stood there, looking down at her feet.

"I'm Coach Nathan or Coach Gardner. Hell, I don't care, you can call me by my first name or last name, and it doesn't really matter. Tell me your name and what grade you are in when I point to you, please." Janelle didn't really hear the names, but she heard some girls that were a freshman, sophomore, and some juniors, but to her surprise, there were no seniors. Mr. Gardner pointed at Janelle, but she couldn't speak, due to the fact that he spoke for her.

"Why hello, Janelle. What are you doing here?" Janelle looked up and decided to smart mouth him.

"What does it look like, Nathan? This is basketball tryouts." Janelle smiled teasingly at him and he immediately understood why she was acting like that. Everyone around them were looking intently at them both, waiting for Mr. Gardner to speak up or get angry.

"Very well. You better be as good as the way you smart mouth." Mr. Gardner finished the line and split us up on each basket. There were six baskets in the whole gym and he put me on the main court, main basket where he was at.

"Okay, you guys are going to pass it in like this and play defense, while the person with the ball will try and score. If they go up for a shot, what do you guys do?" To Janelle's surprise, no one answered, so she decided to.

"You box out."

"Correct, now do you guys get it?" Everyone answered yes and went to their assigned courts. Mr. Gardner watching the people on the court Janelle was on. He was taking notes on his clipboard as he was watching. When it was Janelle's turn to play defense, the only thought that ran through her mind was she was going to make her Dad proud and make the team. She didn't care if Mr. Gardner was the coach. Janelle passed it in and the girl she was guarding was the same height as her, she looked like she was a freshman. The girl didn't have good handling, so Janelle easily took it away.

"Sorry, but good job." Janelle told the girl and the girl looked at her and smiled; a sign of saying thank you. Janelle looked up and Mr. Gardner was still watching. He looked like he was waiting until it was Janelle's turn. He looked satisfied when Janelle took the ball, but he was curiously waiting for her to see if she could play offense as good as she could play defense. It was Janelle's turn to play offense and the person that was going to guard her was about an inch or two taller than her, but she didn't get intimidated. When she passed the ball to Janelle, Janelle faked to the left and dribbled to her right. The girl was playing hard defense, but somehow in Janelle's mind, she knew not to panic and suddenly, she was in her own world again. She did a cross over into a spin and did a lay-up. Luckily, it went in because if it didn't, it wouldn't have looked as nice as it did. When Janelle went to the end of the line, everyone on the same court as her told her a good job and that she was good. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm and she was pulled out of the line.

"Hey!" Janelle yelled, wiping her sweat off her forehead.

"Wow." Mr. Gardner looked at her in complete awe.

"What?"

"You're good, like really good."

"Like yeah? Thanks. Now, can I go back? After all, this is tryouts. I would for the coach to ruin my chances." Janelle said. She was beginning to get irritated whenever Mr. Gardner tried to speak to her.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Gardner tried to strike a conversation.

"Not now, Mr. Gar – Nathan."

"Then when?"

"Never. You said that it would be best if we don't speak and I'm trying to not speak to you, but lookie here, you keep trying to talk to me."

"I'm sorry, really."

"Save it, Nathan." Janelle walked away and went back to the drill. They did more drills and she was glad she tried out. Now, she would have to wait and see the results on Monday.

"Alright, great job girls. The roster for JV and Varsity will be on my front door on Monday. If you don't see your name up there, I'm sorry, but don't give up hope." Mr. Gardner flashed him that smile that Janelle always loved. Janelle took off her basketball shoes and put on her vans. She put on her sweater and started walking out the door. Now, she would just have to wait until Monday. When she opened the door, she accidentally hit someone.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't –"

"Ouch."

"Oh, it's just you. I've got to go."

"Why are you avoiding me?" Mr. Gardner grabbed her to pull her attention on him.

"Let go of me. YOU said it was BEST if we don't speak to each other anymore. That's why I'm avoiding you. This isn't appropriate, remember?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to, but it's true! I'm three times your age!"

"I didn't care! If I did, I wouldn't have let you did that to me. Damn, Mr. Gardner. You're right, this is inappropriate. I would like it my seat is in the back when I come to school on Monday because I can ditch that class again, I don't mind." Janelle walked away because she didn't want to hear it anymore. She was tired of hearing sorry. She's heard 'sorry' all her life. She was hoping she didn't make the team, but at the same time, she wanted to with all her heart, even if that meant apologizing for the way she acted to Mr. Gardner.


	5. Chapter 5

The weekend went by too fast for Janelle. She was nervous for Monday and seeing the roster for the basketball team. If she didn't make Varsity, that's fine, as long as she makes JV she thought. Monday was a scrubby day for Janelle. She was dressed in basketball shorts, white long Nike socks, a grey sweater and her hair was up. She put on her Velcro Vans on and grabbed her glasses and was out the door. She was just on time; once she entered Mr. Gardner's classroom, the bell rang. Janelle didn't take the seat in the front; she took a seat in the back, instead. Mr. Gardner gave her a look as she sat in the back, but she didn't really care. She managed to pay attention this time because if she didn't, she might fail this class, and she did not want that. This was an AP class, it was weighted. When the bell rang to go to second period, Janelle was the last one out. Mr. Gardner stopped her as she was about to go to class.

"Did you see the roster?" Mr. Gardner asked, blocking her way from getting out.

"Not yet, but you're sort of blocking my way to see it."

"It's right here. You made Varsity, congrats." Janelle's eyes lit up and she fought back a smile, but failed. She was tempted to hug Mr. Gardner and tell him thank you, but she didn't.

"Thanks, Mr. Gardner." She was walking away when Mr. Gardner grabbed her wrist and closed the door.

"You know, I'm really sorry." Mr. Gardner was close, really close. Janelle had noticed and took a step back. She was staring in those big brown eyes of his and his eyes were glistening in the sunlight that came through the windows.

"Yeah." Janelle pulled away from his grip and opened the door to leave.

"Practice is today at four. Don't be late!" Mr. Gardner yelled as she left and she just nodded. She could not contain her excitement. She had made the Varsity basketball team and was ready for this season to start. The school day went faster than she expected and she ran home, waiting to tell her parents that she made it. When she got home, she was out of breath and her Mom stood in the kitchen looking dumbfounded.

"What's wrong, honey?" Janelle's Mom asked.

"I – I made – made the team!" Janelle was struggling with her words because she was out of breath. She sat down and her heart rate began to decrease and her breathing became normal again.

"You did? Call your Dad!"

"Mom, I made Varsity! Not JV. VARSITY. Can you believe it? I have practice at four today, so I'll get ready after I call Dad." Janelle hugged her Mom and her Mom was smiling, Janelle's mom was proud.

"Dad, guess what?" Janelle called her Dad like she said.

"What?"

"I made Varsity!" Janelle found herself smiling so wide because she knew that her Dad would be so proud and happy.

"I'm proud of you, honey. I told you you would make it!"

"I know, thanks Dad. But, I'll talk to you later. I have practice soon."

"Alright, I love you. Take care."

"Love you too, Dad!" Janelle hung up and was getting ready. She wore blue basketball shorts and a white shirt. Her hair was up and instead of walking to the school, her Mom brought her.

"Have fun. Call me when you're done."

"Thanks, Mom." Janelle closed the door after her and went to the gym. She was getting nervous and she didn't know why. When she got to the gym, she saw Kasey and Kasey ran up to her.

"You made it! I made JV, though." Janelle felt lonely; she was really hoping Kasey would have made Varsity.

"Aw, now I'm going to be alone." They sat at the bleachers and began putting their basketball shoes on.

"You'll do great."

"You will too. You should have made Varsity."

"Eh, what can I do? I'm not much of a basketball player like you. I like softball better, but that doesn't start until winter sports end."

"Yeah, I guess." Suddenly, a girl – woman came through the doors. She looked about five foot eleven.

"JV over here!" She must be the JV coach and that's when Kasey left. Janelle was sitting at the bleachers alone, while the other Varsity players were talking and socializing with each other. It was already five minutes past four and Mr. Gardner was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he came through the back doors of the gym with a bag of basketballs.

"Sorry, I'm late girls. But, start warming up." Two girls – who looked too confident, in Janelle's mind – began telling them to get into three lines. Janelle thought, _Who are these girls? They aren't the captains._ But, she blew that thought away and began running up and down the courts. When they finished warming up, they got into a circle and started stretching.

"When will you ladies be done? We got practice, you know. Time is wasting here." Mr. Gardner said with a smile.

"Well, you were late, Mr. Gardner." Janelle spoke up, but didn't look at him.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me Janelle."

"Oh, no problem." Everyone just giggled to themselves, while Janelle kept a straight face. Mr. Gardner told them to get a ball for themselves and begin doing ball handling drills. The same two girls told them what to do. Janelle heard someone behind her saying, "What the hell? They act like they're the best ones out here." Janelle turned around and smiled.

"Don't you agree?" Janelle nodded at her.

"I'm Brynn and you are?"

"I'm Janelle." Brynn was taller than Janelle and she could tell that she was really good in basketball.

"I thought I was the only one who noticed that." Janelle said.

"Oh no, you are not the only one. So are you new here?"

"Yeah." Janelle said.

"Welcome to Western Summit." Brynn smiled and Janelle smiled back, happy to have made another friend.

"Thanks." Janelle and Brynn partnered up for some shooting drills and talked throughout practice.

"Good practice, you guys. See you tomorrow, same time." Mr. Gardner said to the team.

"Be on time next time." Janelle said. Everyone laughed and Janelle still kept a straight face. Mr. Gardner nodded and as Janelle and Brynn were walking to get their stuff, Mr. Gardner approached them.

"Hello, ladies. Janelle, may I speak to you for a minute?" Mr. Gardner said. Brynn smiled and said that she'll see me tomorrow and left. Mr. Gardner let me get my things before walking out the gym with me.

"Why are you giving me attitude?" Mr. Gardner rushed to the subject.

"I'm not. That's the way I act." Janelle replied.

"No it's not. Isn't sorry enough for you?"

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are talking about, Mr. Gardner." Janelle turned to face him and he stopped to look her right in the eye.

"Yes you do, Janelle. Don't give me this shit!"

"If you would excuse me, I've got to get home." Janelle walked past Mr. Gardner and felt accomplished, even though deep down in her gut, she wished she could just stop being stubborn and accept his apology.

"Janelle, wait." It was dark and was hard to see because there were no lights around them. Mr. Gardner grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. Janelle was surprised to how strong he was and how built he was in the upper body. Janelle's arms were at her side, tempting to put them around his neck. Mr. Gardner pulled her into a hug and Janelle felt that he meant that he was truly sorry. Still, Janelle's arms were at her sides. She was stiff; she couldn't move. Instead, she went on her toes and whispered, "I forgive you." into Mr. Gardner's ear. She then managed to get away from his grip and begin walking home. Mr. Gardner didn't protest to that, instead, he just left her alone. Janelle felt somewhat better for forgiving him. The next day at school went well. There was still tension between Janelle and Mr. Gardner, but she tried to not think about it too much. When it was lunch, Kasey and Brynn walked up to her.

"Hey, Janelle." Kasey said, taking a seat across Janelle. Brynn taking a seat next to Kasey.

"Oh, hey. You two know each other?"

"Yup. You want to come with us to talk to Mr. Gardner about putting Kasey onto Varsity?" Brynn asked.

"Sure." The three of them walked towards Mr. Gardner's room. Janelle felt relieved that she had finally made friends. Brynn knocked on his door and he opened it with a smile. When he looked over at Janelle, she smiled back.

"Hey, girls, what do you need?" Mr. Gardner said, waving a hand to let them come in.

"We were thinking, how come you didn't put Kasey on Varsity?" Brynn immediately jumped right into the subject.

"I thought I did." Mr. Gardner replied.

"No, you didn't." Kasey said. Janelle stayed quiet and Mr. Gardner was confused why she was so quiet.

"Well, Kasey, today, practice with us and I'll see if you'll be on Varsity." Mr. Gardner smiled at Kasey and Kasey gave him a big hug, as well as with Brynn. That didn't bother Mr. Gardner nor did it bother Janelle.

"Thanks, Mr. Gardner!" Brynn yelled as she was leaving his room with Kasey and Janelle.

"Wait, Janelle, I need to speak with you." Mr. Gardner yelled to them and Kasey and Brynn said "Ooooh, you're in trouble." Janelle looked back at them and smiled, shaking her head. Janelle walked into Mr. Gardner's room as he closed the door and locked it. His windows were closed and it was dim in his classroom. Janelle stood against the door and Mr. Gardner put one hand against the door; near her ear while his free arm was hanging at his sides.

"Why didn't you give me a hug?" Mr. Gardner said. Janelle noticed he was trying to flirt with her.

"Maybe because I didn't want to, ever think of that."

"Ouch." Janelle didn't say anything. Mr. Gardner's free hand went to touch her cheek and she looked the other way. Feeling startled by his touch and at the same time, feeling safe and warm with his fingertips touching her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Gardner asked, looking worried.

"What's wrong? What do you think is wrong? You said that it isn't best if we do this." Janelle walked away from the door, with her back to Mr. Gardner. Mr. Gardner walked behind her and grabbed her wrist and turned to face him. They were looking intently into each other eyes and Janelle noticed that they were both in each other's personal space. Their lips were just inches away from each other and Janelle took a step back.

"Bell's going to ring soon." Janelle said, breaking the tension.


	6. Chapter 6

When Janelle left from Mr. Gardner's class, the bell rang to go to fifth period. As she was listening to the lecture her teacher gave her about how important the lighting and angle is in a photo; Janelle had other thoughts in her mind. She was so close to Mr. Gardner and the way he took control made her stomach do flips. She was crazy for being attracted to a teacher twice her age, but she really didn't care. The bell rang to go to sixth period and she hated this class; Chemistry. Janelle was never the Science type; she liked Math and English, but neither Science nor History was her subject. Though, she was passing the class with a solid B. She fell asleep during Chemistry while watching a video about how important chemicals are. The class door opened and the teacher woke her up.

"Janelle? Wake up, honey." Her teacher, Mrs. Lane, woke her up gently. Janelle might hate this class, but she loved the teacher. Mrs. Lane was probably in the middle of her fifties, maybe sixties, and she was so nice and generous. She had dark brown hair with some gray hair growing and she had dark brown eyes. This was the only teacher that Janelle liked throughout this entire school. She had talked to Janelle about the 'fight' with Ashley and she agreed with her that it wasn't her fault and it was good that she hit back.

"Sorry." Janelle put her head into her hand and was beginning to doze off again.

"Honey, you have a pass, here. It says you have to go now, so I suggest you take your stuff just in case." Janelle's eyes widened and were hoping her Mom was picking her up early.

"Thank you." Janelle took the pass from her teacher and read it over. It was a small blue slip saying that she had to go to the office. She grabbed her stuff and left the room. Janelle decided to put her things in her locker and she managed to pass Mr. Gardner's room. The door was open and as she was getting closer, his head snapped up. He removed his glasses and saw her. He held his gaze, but Janelle looked away. She continued walking to the office until she bumped into Ashley. They stopped in front of each other and looked intently at each other. Janelle decided to be the mature one out of the two and continued walking.

"Bitch." Ashley whispered under her breath. Janelle heard it and that caused her to turn around.

"Excuse me? If you have something to say, don't be a pussy and say it under your breath." Janelle was fumed with anger. She had no idea that one girl could make her feel this way. She noticed, also, that they weren't far from Mr. Gardner's room and the office. If Janelle got in trouble, her parents would kill her.

"Bitch." Ashley repeated herself louder.

"Yeah, I know you are." Janelle smiled at her and began walking.

"You think you're the shit, huh?" Ashley said causing Janelle to turn back around again. She was really getting Janelle's nerves.

"Actually, no. I'm not as conceited as you are."

"You don't have to deny the fact that you're jealous of me." Ashley smirked and this sent Janelle off.

"What? Jealous of you? How can I be jealous about a person who got hit so badly she fell to the floor?" Janelle spoke louder than she expected.

"That was a cheap shot."

"Just admit it; you got your ass handed to you." Janelle felt proud of her answer and walked past her, pushing her slightly with her shoulder. Suddenly, Janelle felt a small tug at her hair and next thing she knew, she was on the floor. Ashley began walking away, mumbling something to herself.

"You're a coward." Janelle said as she was standing up.

"Excuse me?" Ashley turned around; she was right in front of Mr. Gardner's door.

"You. Are. A. Coward." Janelle said more slowly for her to understand. She saw Ashley's hands turn up into fists and Janelle was ready for her to hit her first. Ashley didn't say anything; instead, she turned around, walking the opposite direction. "Yup, that proves it, you really are a coward." Janelle said, smiling. She turned on her heel and began walking to the office, but soon enough, Ashley grabbed her hair and dropped her to the floor again. Janelle laid flat on her stomach. This time, Ashley didn't walk away. She began kicking Janelle in the stomach, causing Janelle to move to her side and hold her abdomen. Janelle was making grunts, but not loud enough for the classes to hear. After Ashley thought she had enough, she began walking away, giving Janelle enough time to get up.

"Hey, you think that hurt?" Janelle said, smiling, still holding her stomach. This time, Ashley stood there, in front of Mr. Gardner's door, waiting for Janelle to do something. Janelle was walking towards her and was now face to face. They both were in each other's personal space.

"Don't fuck with me." Ashley said, a clear anger in her voice.

"Why's that, Miss Popular?" Janelle said in a sarcastic voice. Good thing she was on the other side of Ashley so that Mr. Gardner wouldn't see her.

"Because you have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Yes, maybe. But, you also have no idea what _I'm_ capable of." Janelle took a step closer, causing Ashley to stumble back. Ashley struck her fist square straight into Janelle's jaw causing her to move her face. Ashley began pushing her and Janelle's conscience told her not to do this or else the consequences will worsen. But, right now, she could care less. Her dad always told her to never take shit from anyone. Janelle pushed back harder than ever causing Ashley to fall on her back. Janelle guessed Mr. Gardner didn't notice and was glad he didn't because she wanted to shut this girl up. Janelle waited for her to get up so she could have an advantage and it would an equal fight. Ashley tried to hit her again, but this time, Janelle put her arm up in defense and striked back. Ashley kept hitting and so did Janelle. They were both on the floor now with Ashley under Janelle. Janelle was hitting Ashley's face while Ashley was putting her hands up to defend herself. This caused attention from the room near them. Mr. Gardner stepped out of his room and his yelling caused the students in his class to see what he was yelling about.

"Hey! Stop! Hey!" Mr. Gardner tried to tell them, but they didn't stop. There was blood on both of their shirts, dripping from both of their noses and Janelle's lip had a small cut.

"Fight! Fight! Get her, Janelle!" Janelle heard someone yell her name, expecting it to be someone she knew. Mr. Gardner went back to his room and closed the door. Janelle and Ashley rolled and Ashley was now on top. The roles reversed and Ashley had more hits, while Janelle was covering herself.

"Stop it right now!" Mr. Gardner yelled causing the other teachers to see what was going on. This caused Ashley to turn around and gave Janelle an open shot to hit her square in the jaw. When Ashley turned around to face Janelle, Janelle raised her fist and hit her square in the jaw causing Ashley to fall back on the floor unconscious. Janelle stood up and was now standing near Ashley. Ashley's eyes fluttered open.

"Sorry, you ran into my fist. Be careful next time." Janelle winked at her and was walking away. The teachers, of course, attended to Ashley, even Mr. Gardner. She threw her pass away and went to her locker and grabbed her things. When she passed Mr. Gardner's room, Ashley and the teachers were gone. She guessed they already brought her to the nurse's office. She decided to leave the school already when someone grabbed her by the elbow and put her into a small storage room. It was dark and she had no idea who was in there with her. Suddenly, the person flicked the lights on and when she saw it was Mr. Gardner, she tried to leave. Mr. Gardner stood in front of the door making Janelle have a hard time getting through.

"Can you please move?" Janelle asked with a slight irritation in her voice.

"No."

"Why not?" Janelle said louder than she intended to.

"You can't just go picking out fights, Janelle." There was a sincere worry in his eyes and Janelle could tell.

"Is that what she told you?" Mr. Gardner nodded.

"And you believe her? Damn. You should know me by now that I don't go out picking fights. Just because I moved here and the fact that I hate it here does not mean that I like picking out fights. My dad said never to take shit from anyone, Mr. Gardner. I'm tired of her. Let's get this story straight; you may not even believe me, but I don't care. We bumped into each other as I was walking to the office. She confronted me. She hit me first. The first instinct in body was to fight back. If I get in trouble for this shit, I'm leaving." Janelle said with complete anger and irritation. She tried the last time to get through the door, but to no avail. "Mr. Gardner, now can you please move?" Janelle continued.

"Where are you going to go? School isn't over for about fifteen minutes." Mr. Gardner said as he checked his watch.

"Yeah, well it's over for me. Now will you?" Janelle waved her hand at the door.

"You can't ditch."

"And why's that, Mr. Gardner?"

"You'll get in trouble."

"Who gives a shit!" Janelle said, throwing her hands up after realizing that Mr. Gardner would not move. She put her backpack down and sat down against the wall with her knees pressed up against her chest and her arms around her knees.

"Look, we need you on this basketball team. You can't get in trouble anymore, alright?" Mr. Gardner kneeled down to face her. They were both in each other's personal space once again. Janelle came closer, but moved her mouth to his ear.

"Whatever you say, Nathan." Janelle whispered causing a small gasp escape from Mr. Gardner's mouth. He was kneeling down, still and this was the only chance that Janelle could leave. She got up and grabbed her stuff in one swift move, but as she reached the doorknob, Mr. Gardner pulled her to him. "_Damn it,"_ she thought.

"I like it when you call me Nathan." Mr. Gardner whispered into her ear causing Janelle's breaths to shorten from the sudden reply. Mr. Gardner let go of her and she ran out of the door quickly as possible, fearing that he would pull her back in. Janelle was beginning to run outside to leave the school when Mrs. Wright yelled.

"Janelle! Where do you think you're going! Come here, young lady." Janelle turned around and was walking towards her.

"What did I say about getting into trouble again?" Mrs. Wright continued as they reached her office. Ashley was seated at one of the chairs holding an ice pack to her face. Ashley rolled her eyes at Janelle and she simply smiled at her.

"Now, girls, give me the truth." Mrs. Wright said, clasping her hands together over her desk. No one spoke for awhile. "Alright, Ashley, sweetie, you go first." There was a sincere and apologetic tone to her voice and Janelle wondered if Mrs. Wright pitied Ashley.

"Alright, well, basically, she hit me first and I just used self-defense." Ashley said.

"What? That's bullshit. Excuse me for my language Mrs. Wright, but she's lying! We bumped into each other and she hit me first. I fell to the floor and she kept kicking my stomach. She was walking away and I managed to stand up and face her. I said something to her, which I forgot, and she hit me. _I_ was the one to use self-defense, Mrs. Wright." Janelle said as she stood up.

"Janelle, sit back down. You'll have your turn. Go on, Ashley." Mrs. Wright said, calmly.

"She was walking to the office and when she saw me, she pushed me. Even ask Mr. Gardner, everything happened at his front door." Ashley said as her lips turned into a small devious smile.

"Nathan, will you please come to my office immediately? Thank you." Mrs. Wright spoke into the intercom and within minutes, there stood Mr. Gardner.

"Yes?"

"These two can't get their story straight and I have no idea who to believe. Ashley here says that it happened out your front door, true?" Mrs. Wright and Ashley were both looking up at Mr. Gardner who was standing behind Janelle. Janelle kept staring straight, too angry to even look at anyone.

"Yeah, that's true."

"Okay, great, grab another chair and explain to me what you saw." Mr. Gardner's fingers brushed Janelle's shoulder, causing Janelle to shiver at the sudden contact. When Mr. Gardner pulled up a chair, he sat between both Ashley and Janelle.

"I saw Ashley and Janelle here talking at first. I looked at them, but I thought they were just patching things up, you know? Next thing I knew – I'm sorry, Ashley – but, I saw Ashley hit Janelle first. Janelle hit back and that caused a serious fight. I tried to break them up and when I did, Janelle hit her in the jaw causing Ashley to get beat up pretty bad." Mr. Gardner said.

"Alright, thank you Nathan. The bell will be ringing soon, so you should get back to your class." Janelle fought a smile and made a note in her mind to thank Mr. Gardner later.

"Now, Ashley you will be suspended for three days. I'll see you until then. Goodbye." Ashley left, mumbling something to herself and closed the door. Mrs. Wright and Janelle were left in the room.

"Sweetie, you can't always go out and fight." Mrs. Wright said, taking the seat Ashley was in and moved closer to Janelle.

"Mrs. Wright, I was fighting back."

"Yes, I realize that, but sometimes, you have to be the bigger person and walk away. You take care of yourself, alright? And I will be looking forward to be watching your basketball games. Mr. Gardner says you're something else when you're on that court." Mrs. Wright smiled and rested her hand atop of Janelle's and squeezed it tightly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Wright." Janelle smiled back and left. She brought her duffle bag so she wouldn't have to go home and come back here. She told her mom that she would be at practice after school and that she'll just walk home if it's not dark. Janelle changed and put on her basketball shoes. She checked her watch and she was just on time. Kasey was there this time and both Janelle and Brynn were happy.

"Hey." Janelle said, walking up to Kasey and Brynn.

"Hey! I heard about Ashley." Kasey said.

"Yup, 'bout time someone put her in her place." Brynn said, smiling and patting her friend on the back.

"Someone had to do it." Janelle smiled back and Mr. Gardner walked in.

"Alright, ladies. Today, we're going to split you guys up. The guards over here and the centers, low posts, and high posts over here." Janelle was yet again, alone. Brynn and Kasey were taller than Janelle and they both played as a big.

"Kasey, I don't need to watch you. You're on Varsity, sweetie." Mr. Gardner said.

"Really? Mr. Gardner, thank you! You're the best!" Kasey replied, with a smile that reached each side of her face.

"Yup, don't make me regret my decision." Mr. Gardner said.

"You won't." Kasey replied. Mr. Gardner winked at her and walked away. The bigs were working on rebounds, while the guards were working on their dribbling and shooting. Mr. Gardner was watching the guards and it was Janelle's turn. _"Why was he always here whenever it's my turn?"_ Janelle thought. The girl from the baseline threw her the ball and Janelle caught it and stood in a triple threat position. The girl that threw her the ball was the best defense player on the team.

"Hm. I don't think Janelle will get past her." Mr. Gardner said. Janelle looked at him.

"Watch me." Janelle said and winked at him. Mr. Gardner smiled at was patiently waiting to see if she really would get past the best defense player. Janelle has got to admit, the girl that was guarding her played tough defense. She moved her to one corner to the other and Janelle heard Mr. Gardner mumble, but she couldn't make it out. Janelle was tired of playing games, so she cleared her mind of all thoughts except getting past this girl. Janelle faked to the left and crossed over to the right, causing the defensive player to misbalance and Janelle had an open lay-up and made it. The girl went up to her.

"Wow. You have some good ball handling. I'm Mallory."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Janelle." They exchanged smiles and Janelle went back at the end of the line.

"Janelle, come here." Mr. Gardner said.

"Yes, Nathan?" Janelle made emphasis on his name seeing his reaction.

"Come with me." Mr. Gardner told her.

"Ladies, keep doing your drills, I'll be back in about ten minutes. I need to speak to Janelle here." All the girls were yelling, _"Oooh, you're in trouble!"_ but Janelle just shook her head and continued following Mr. Gardner from behind. Mr. Gardner stopped, causing Janelle to bump into his backside.

"Hey, watch my kids for me. I'll be back." Mr. Gardner told the JV coach and she gladly nodded. After Mr. Gardner and Janelle left the gym, Mr. Gardner grabbed her wrist in full force and began walking faster.

"What the? Where are we going?" Janelle asked, trying to squirm away from his grip, but to no avail, Mr. Gardner held her wrist tight, but firm. Next thing she knew, Janelle was in Mr. Gardner's room. The blinds were closed and it was dark. Mr. Gardner let her in and closed the door and locked it behind him. She was looking for light switch when Mr. Gardner grabbed her hands and held them.

"What are you doing?" Janelle asked.

"I'm tired of this."

"Of wh –" Mr. Gardner's lips crashed against Janelle's. Janelle's first reaction was to kiss back, but instead, she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think –" Janelle didn't know why he played this game with her.

"Exactly, don't think." Mr. Gardner said in a hush tone and kissed her more gently this time. She finally obliged and kissed back, putting her arms around his neck and playing with the hair on the back of his neck. Her lips slightly parted, Mr. Gardner darted his tongue into her mouth and traced shapes onto hers. Mr. Gardner pulled away, opened the door, and walked out.

"What the hell?" Janelle thought.


	7. Chapter 7

_Janelle's POV. _

What was he thinking? I have no idea why he continued playing this game. But that kiss, the way he took control just made me melt. I was stuck in the moment and soon came to realize I had to get back to practice. I ran to the gym then bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry." I said all in one breath.

"Hey! You're that new girl, right?" I turned around to see who it was.

"Um, I have a name."

"And what's your name?" The guy smiled and I couldn't help but smile back because his smile was amazing.

"Janelle."

"Nice to meet you, my name's Aaron." He smiled once again and I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach.

"Nice to meet you too. Um, I have to go back to practice, so yeah. See you around!" I said.

"Wait, that's where I'm headed, let me walk with you." I was so glad he said that. "So, what grade are you in?" He asked.

"I'm a junior, what about you?"

"Me too. So you play basketball, huh? You any good?" Whenever he smiled, my entire body will just crumble.

"You can watch to find out. What sport do you play?" I was hoping he was going to watch me.

"Well, football, wrestling, and volleyball."

"Mmm, the cutest guys play those sports." I nudged his arm playfully and we both laughed.

"Yeah, do I count?" He looked at me and we were in the gym and I noticed how pretty his eyes were. It was a hazel color with a mix of orange in them. I can stare at those eyes all day if I could.

"Oh of course." I winked at him and we both laughed again. He walked with me to where I had my drills and we continued talking.

"I forgot to tell you." Aaron looked me in the eye. He was about the same height as Mr. Gardner.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"You're very pretty." I blushed and he smiled.

"Thank you." He pulled me into a hug where his arms were wrapped securely around my neck while my arms were around his waist. I began walking to where the team was and he ran up to me. The girls on my team were looking at me, smiling. Mr. Gardner was also looking at me and Aaron, but he didn't look too happy.

"Wait!" I turned around to see him running with a pen in his hand.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I know we just met, but can I get your number?" He looked up at me and had an innocent look. I grabbed the pen from his hand and wrote on his palm. The girls on my team were whistling at me and I looked back and they all winked or wiggled their eyebrows at me.

"Thank you," he said and walked back out the gym. I ran up to the girls and they were giving me a look I couldn't take.

"What?" I finally asked.

"He's the cutest guy in this school!" I heard someone yell.

"Yup. He's sweet, too." I smiled and they all saw that I was blushing. I looked over at Mr. Gardner and he had a jealous look on his face. Throughout practice, I couldn't help but think if Julian was going to call me or not. When practice was over, I rushed to get my bags together. Mr. Gardner pulled me aside.

"Aaron is a nice guy."

"Yup." I said with a smile.

"Are you going to date him?" Mr. Gardner asked.

"We'll see where it leads, why?"

"Nothing just wondering."

"Really, Mr. Gardner? Come here." I pulled him aside where no one would see or hear us.

"What?"

"You caught me off guard with that kiss back there." He smiled when I mentioned it.

"Yeah?" I nodded and this time I took control. I heard a gasp escape his mouth when our lips were pressed together. It felt like hours that we've been kissing and finally I let go and whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow, Nathan." This time, I walked away leaving him there speechless and deep in his thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

Nathan stood there dumbfounded from what Janelle had just done. Janelle, on the other hand, wasn't thinking of Mr. Gardner or the kisses they had shared that night, but she was thinking and hoping that Aaron would call her like he said. The night she got home from practice and just as she finished her homework, he called. Her face lit up and she was all smiles. They were talking all night and for once, she slept with a smile on her face. She felt content and she was okay with that because ever since she moved, she was always in a bad mood. She woke up early to fix her hair and find out what she should wear today. She woke up at about five thirty in the morning and checked the weather. It said that it would be seventy-eight degrees and Janelle was skeptical because it was January; it was still winter. Anyways, she looked through her closet and decided to wear a strapless floral romper with white vans. Good thing Western Summit's dress code policy weren't as strict as her other school. She was allowed to wear basically anything unless it had something offensive on it. She could wear a strapless romper and she wouldn't get in trouble for it. She finished showering at six and put on her romper. The sun was already shining outside and she began to curl her hair. That took her about forty-five minutes. She slipped on her white vans, her glasses, and her white g-shock g-lide. The only thing she brought was her sports bag for practice later today. Her basketball clothes and her binder were in there too. Her parents had left already and she was thankful that they didn't see what she was wearing or else they would have told her to change. She realized it was only seven-thirty and decided to eat some breakfast. She poured herself a bowl of Fruit Loops and watched Nickelodeon while eating her cereal. She hadn't realized that the time went by because when she finished her cereal, it was already eight. She was about to be late for first period again and her second tardy would have to mean she would have to serve lunch detention. She managed to get to the school in record time and she got a late slip from the office and headed for her locker before going to Mr. Gardner's class. She stuffed her sports bag in her locker – good thing it fit – and grabbed her binder and walked to Mr. Gardner's class. The door was closed and she opened it ever so slowly. Everyone looked up at her then continued their work. Mr. Gardner looked at her and then looked away, but she must've caught his eye because he had to look at her the second time with wide eyes. She smiled at him and gave him her late slip. She wasn't paying attention at all in Mr. Gardner's class because her thoughts were occupied by Aaron. They weren't even dating, but he still occupied her mind. When class was over, Mr. Gardner grabbed her elbow and told her to wait after class; his classroom door still remained closed as his students left.

"You do know that you have to serve lunch detention." Mr. Gardner told her, looking at her from top to bottom.

"Yes, I am aware and I would like it if you keep your eyes up here." Janelle pointed to her eyes and smiled at him.

"What? I was just –"

"Mhm, alright." Janelle said. "See you at lunch, Nathan," Janelle whispered into his ear and walked away with a satisfied smile. When lunch came, she grabbed her iPod and headed straight for Mr. Gardner's classroom and saw Aaron approaching her.

"Hey there, stranger." Aaron told her with that amazing smile of his.

"Hey."

"Where you headed?"

"Mr. Gardner's class. I have to serve lunch detention." Janelle rolled her eyes, but still maintained a smile.

"That sucks. He's pretty cool, though, so you won't have a boring time there."

"I guess." He hugged her goodbye and she felt all tingly inside. She opened the door to Mr. Gardner's class with a smile and she sat all the way in the back and put her earphones on, still smiling. When she looked up, she saw Mr. Gardner looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She hadn't noticed how cute he was whenever he did that. She paused her music and removed her earphones.

"How may I help you?" Janelle asked Mr. Gardner. He didn't answer; instead, he got up from his seat and took a seat in front of her, still staring at her. Janelle looked away because she could only take so much of those luscious brown eyes of his.

"I forgot to tell you –" Mr. Gardner started.

"Tell me what?" Janelle raised an eyebrow.

"You look really pretty today." Mr. Gardner smiled and Janelle sweared that the room brightened up.

"Thanks." She looked at her g-shock and twenty-five more minutes of this lunch detention and she didn't know how long she could take with being alone with him in a room. Mr. Gardner got up and closed the blinds and the room got darker. He turned on a couple of lights, but the room still looked dim.

"What are you –" Janelle started and Mr. Gardner walked up to her, looking down at her with a smile. Janelle stood up as well just looking at him and admiring his features from up close. "You know, Mr. Gardner, it's really hard for me to contain myself when I'm this close to you," Janelle continued.

"Really? I feel the exact same way." Mr. Gardner closed the gap between their lips and Janelle gasped at how gentle he was. His hands were at either side of her face and Janelle's hands were wrapped around his lower back. They were walking, lips still locked, until Mr. Gardner trapped her in a corner. His hands were removed from her face and were placed against the wall to keep her trapped. She bit his lower lip and smiled when their lips parted.

"Are we really about to do this here?" Janelle asked.

"It is lunch detention." Mr. Gardner replied, making contact with the nape of her neck and his lips. She shut her eyes, but her conscience spoke to her.

"Mr. Gardner, I don't think we should do this now." Janelle said, but Mr. Gardner was working his mouth at her neck and her breathing began to quicken at the feeling. She finally pushed him back and found that his hair was tousled because of her hands being tangled in them. They both smiled at each other and knew that it wasn't the right time for both of them.

"Detention is over. I'll see you at practice." Mr. Gardner said before giving her a quick kiss on the lips again. Janelle didn't say anything, but began walking out when Mr. Gardner grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. "This isn't over," Mr. Gardner whispered to her ear.

"I never said it was." Janelle whispered back and she pulled back and found him smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

Decided to continue this fic. Enjoy this part. I haven't written in a while, so excuse me if it isn't that good.

* * *

Janelle, needless to say, was stunned. She had just kissed Nathan, _again_, and the fact that she had feelings for Aaron made it all the more shameful. She continued to think throughout the day. _Aaron or Nathan. Aaron or Nathan_, she thought. After school was over, she had met up with Aaron at her locker.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Even though they weren't technically a 'couple,' they sure were acting like it.

Janelle turned her head slightly to kiss his cheek before taking out her duffle bag from her locker. "Hey there, handsome. You have wrestling practice soon?" She noticed the duffle bag that was draped over his shoulder and sweat beading down his forehead as he was dressed in black shorts, long white Nike socks, slip on slippers and a white beater.

"Actually, I just got out of practice. I have practice in thirty minutes again, so I thought I could spend that time watching _you_ play basketball." He turned her around in his arms and smiled down at her. "If that's okay with you, I mean."

Janelle nodded instantly. Spending more time with him would be a good thing, especially since the feelings that she was developing for him grew more and more each day.

"Great. I'm gonna enjoy this." He smiled and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they walked towards the gym. She felt the butterfly feeling in the pit of her stomach as he draped an arm over her shoulder, their hands still entwined.

"I told my friends about you, Janelle. I hope that's okay. I mean, I know we aren't dating yet, but I have a good feeling about this." She smiled to herself, leaning into his side as they approached the gym, seeing girls both on Varsity and JV putting on their shoes.

"That's fine with me. Look, I've got to go get ready for practice. I'll come out here before I start practice." She looks deeply into those beautiful eyes of his before hesitantly pressing her lips against his. She bit her lower lip once she pulled away, a blush creeping up on her neck.

Aaron was taken aback by the kiss, but accepted it nonetheless. "Okay, I'll be right here."

Grabbing her duffle bag, she ran to the locker room and began to change, removing her romper before slipping on her sports bra and spandex shorts. She put on her long socks before slipping into black basketball shorts and her practice jersey. She put her hair up in a messy ponytail before heading out back to the gym.

Just as she left the locker room, she bumped into someone from behind. "Oh, I'm so –"

"You're so clumsy, do you know that?" Nathan said as he turned around to face him, a smirk splaying on his lips. Janelle instantly knew what he was thinking of, partly because she was thinking of it too.

"Uh huh. Okay, I'm gonna go inside now. See you there?" She flashed him a smile before going inside the gym without letting Nathan respond. She dropped her duffle bag next to Aaron, who was sitting on the hardwood floor, the bleachers closed.

"Hey, look at you. You look cute." Aaron stood and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling him flush against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to press her lips against his once more.

She shut her eyes as their lips worked against one another, her hands playing with the hair at his nape as she reveled in the feel of his lips. Aaron turned them both around, her back against the closed bleachers as he rested a hand on her hip, the other on the bleacher. "I like you," he mumbled as Janelle trailed her tongue along his lower lip.

The girls whistled as giggles filled their ears. Nathan walked in and looked at the couple, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Ahem. Practice is starting!" He yelled, looking away from Janelle and Aaron.

"Mm, I'll see you after practice, Aaron." She smiled against his lips, pecking it multiple times before pulling away.

"Okay." He smiled before pulling her in for another deep kiss. "See you later, beautiful."

Janelle winked at him before running towards the group of girls on the Varsity team, Nathan being in the middle of the crowded group. Their eyes locked for a moment before Nathan shifted his gaze someplace else. "Alright ladies, our first game is tomorrow. Today, we'll be working more on our offense plays and defense plays." Everyone nodded as Janelle averted her gaze to Aaron, smiling to herself as she daydreamed.

"Janelle, earth to Janelle!" Nathan snapped his fingers in front of her face as she came back to reality.

"Sorry, sorry. Let's go over plays. Let's get that win," she said as the entire team nodded and cheered in agreement. Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly at Janelle before nodding.

The team did a few drills, Aaron watching Janelle intently. Nathan split up a few girls to work on their box out and defense, putting Janelle, once again, on the main court. This time, however, he was walking around, never stopping to watch her play.

A few minutes passed and Aaron was still watching the team practice. The team was working on an offensive play, five people out on the court as Nathan explained what to do.

Janelle was on the court with four other girls as Nathan continued to instruct them on what to do. However, someone caught the corner of her eye: Ashley Adams.

She had a bad feeling as to what was about to happen. Her eyes were locked on hers, noticing the way Ashley began to move towards Aaron. She ignored what Nathan was saying as she kept her eyes on Aaron and Ashley.

Before Janelle knew it, Ashley pulled Aaron to stand as she kissed him fully on the mouth. Someone had passed her the ball, hitting her on the arm. She shook her head and let the ball go before running towards Ashley, her other teammates watching closely.

"What the hell? You're supposed to be suspended." Janelle grabbed Ashley's shoulder and pulled her away from Aaron. She rolled her eyes at Aaron as he stepped back, waiting to see this whole entire situation unfold.

"During school hours, Janelle. There are no classes going on, right?" Ashley pushed her, staring down at her.

"Yeah, well, back off of Aaron. Go home." Janelle tightened her jaw, attempting to control her anger. She felt her teammates' eyes on them both, realizing that Nathan was probably grabbing something from the locker rooms.

"It's about time you pay, Miss Smith." Ashley instantly grabbed Janelle by the throat as she slammed her back against the bleachers with a loud thud. Everyone ran towards her to try and help, but Ashley pulled out a gun and everyone instantly stepped back, fear written in all their faces.

Janelle didn't fight back this time. Hit after hit, she felt herself being drug into unconsciousness. Blood trickled down the corner of her lip, bruises evident along her face. Ashley clicked the safety off before aiming it at Janelle's knee. "Have fun being on crutches, bitch." With that being said, she pulled the trigger.

Janelle screamed in pain, the noise of the gunshot mixed with her yelps echoed throughout the gym. Nathan ran from the locker room out to the gym as he saw Janelle lying on the hardwood floor, blood pooling around her right leg.

"Someone call 911! Now!" Nathan removed his shirt, leaving him in a wife beater as he tied it securely around her gunshot wound. Janelle screamed in pain once more, tears evident in her swollen eyes. "Shit, who the hell did this?" Nathan sat down, applying pressure on her knee as her teammates, gathered around her.

"Where the hell is Aaron?" Nathan said out of anger, realizing that Aaron was gone.

"Okay, girls. Practice is over. Go home." Nathan looked down at Janelle, seeing her face bruised as he brought her leg up to rest on his own. Her teammates had already left as he kept his eyes glued onto her.

"It'll be okay, alright? Just- Damn it, stay with me." Nathan continued applying pressure, hearing faint noises of the ambulance near. Janelle reached over and placed a hand over his, smiling slightly at him. "I guess I won't be playing this season, _Coach_."

He shook his head and looked around, making sure no one was around before leaning down and pecking her lips. "I don't care about the team right now. I need for you to be okay, alright?" He pulled away once he heard the medics arrive. He helped Janelle up onto the gurney before he walked to the back of the ambulance. "Don't be late to school tomorrow," he smiled weakly.

"I'll be the first student there," she said weakly before the ambulance drove off, leaving Nathan in her blood.


	10. Chapter 10

Authors Note: Okay, I know it's been a while, and I originally planned to leave it at only nine chapters or parts, but I decided to expand it since I thought of a new way to end it. So, enjoy. There may be some errors, so excuse that. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**_One week later…_**

Janelle was finally permitted to return back to school. She had been told that she had to use crutches for about a month, meaning she would miss the entire rest of the season.

"Mom, I'm telling you, I forgot who was the one who did this to me," Janelle lied. She knew _exactly_who it was, but was she the type of person to snitch? No.

"Honey, was it one of your classmates?"

"Mom, I don't remember. It's done with, okay? It's over with. I'm fine." Janelle grabbed her basketball windbreaker before slipping on her backpack and grabbing her crutches.

Janelle was pissed, to say the least. She wanted vengeance. She wanted to avenge what Ashley did to her. Her frustration was also towards Aaron. The fact that he didn't do anything when Ashley kissed him proved enough for her to realize that he wasn't worth it.

As her mom dropped her off to school, the bell for class had already rung as she walked slowly up the stairs, her crutches underneath her arm. Once that was accomplished, she sighed before making her way to class. Janelle decided to ignore the trip all the way down the hall to her locker as she had much difficulty with opening the door to Nathan's room.

After a few more minutes, the pledge finishing over the intercom, she opened the door as she rested her crutches to the side and used her good leg to put down the stand for the door to keep open.

Nathan immediately noticed her as he stood to help her inside. "Janelle, it's nice of you to finally join us." He flashed her a smile before resting his hand on her lower back to help her to her seat.

"Yeah. I just _love_ this class, I couldn't be away any longer," Janelle said sarcastically.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Miss Smith." Nathan replied before flashing her a genuine smile. He walked back to the front of the class and began his lecture. Every chance he could get, he'd look at Janelle, a small smile formin on his lips.

The entire classroom was quiet due to the book work that was assigned. However, Janelle couldn't concentrate. Her mind was everywhere. She'd stare blankly at the ground, at the wall, even at Nathan, but only one thought remained in her mind: To avenge Ashley.

Nathan removed his glasses, taking notice of Janelle. He stood up and walked over to her desk as he leaned down to whisper. "I need for you to stay after class. I'll write you a pass, it's important."

Janelle was broken out of her reverie once Nathan began to speak lowly into her ear. She nodded in response and attempted to do work.

The bell rung, indicating that first period was over. She stayed after, just as Nathan said. He smiled and nodded at the departing students before shutting the door after the last one.

"How are you feeling?" Nathan asked as he walked up to her desk.

"Horrible. I mean, it hurts a bit, but I'm out for the season." Janelle sighed. She was formulating different ways to try and get back at Ashley, but none were as idiotic as what she did to her.

"I know. I need to ask you something, and be honest with me, alright?" Nathan grabbed a chair and placed it in front of her desk, his hand resting on her good knee.

"Uh, yeah sure. What is it?" Janelle glanced down at his hand briefly. She swallowed slightly as she yearned for more touch, more phyiscal contact.

"Was the shooting gang related?"

"What? Seriously?" Janelle shook her head and stood up, grabbing her crutches as she began to slowly walk her way out on one foot, accompanied by her crutches. "You don't need to write me a note. I don't care if I'm late."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He followed after her and stood by the door so that she couldn't leave. "I'm asking a question. Now answer it."

"Get out of my way, _Mr. Gardner_," she spat. Her anger and irritation rising as she gripped the handles of her crutches, her knuckles turning white.

"No. Are you in a gang, Janelle?" Nathan held his ground as he tightened his jaw, noticing how irritated she was, how frustrated she was.

"No! Why in the hell would I be in a gang? You want to know who shot me, Mr. Gardner? Ask the girls on the team, ask Aaron, because I sure as hell am not going to snitch." She pushed him aside with as much strength she had before walking out with much difficulty, making sure that the door was slammed shut.

Nathan sighed heavily before walking back to his desk in frustration. He wanted to know who had caused her this much pain, this much distress, but how can he do that when she wasn't going to help him?

**_Practice…_**

As practice began, the girls on the team warming up, the gym doors opened. She took her time to walk to where the team was before throwing her backpack on the ground.

Nathan wasn't at practice yet and Janelle took this opportunity to speak with her team. "Hey. If Gardner asks who shot me, please don't say a word." They all nodded as Nathan walked in, his face blank as he glanced at Janelle.

"Okay, girls. Grab a ball and a partner. Do some passing drills for about ten minutes." Nathan nodded at the girls before walking over to Janelle and motioned for her to follow him out to the foyer.

Janelle obliged and followed, somewhat agitated with him still. "What?" She asked as he led her to a dark corner. She leaned against her crutches as her eyes locked with his in an intense gaze.

"I just asked you a simple question and now you're mad at me?" Nathan asked as he stuck his hands in his pockets and looked deeply into her eyes. He yearned to touch her, to kiss her, to just make her feel like she was safe, but he couldn't. Not now. And maybe not ever. There would always be that thirty year age gap.

"No, I'm appalled that you even had to ask it, Mr. Gardner. Just because I got shot doesn't immediately mean that I'm in a gang. Cops get shot all the time, does that mean they're in a gang?" Janelle rolled her eyes and looked down at her feet absently, just being in presence made her more irritated than she already was.

"Janelle, I'm sorry. It's my duty as a teacher to ask." He reached for her hand, but she moved away. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he rested a hand on the wall to keep her trapped. "I am sorry."

She kept her eyes downcast, totally oblivious to when he leaned in close. Janelle realized that she was now at his mercy, nowhere to go and nothing to say. His scent was intoxicating as she resisted the urge to pull him closer.

Nathan hooked a finger under her chin, their eyes locking as he invaded her personal space. "I'm sorry, Janelle. I just- I want to fix this. I need to find out who did this to you." He caressed her cheek, his hand cupping it as he looked deeply into her eyes with a pleading look.

Janelle tightened her jaw and nodded before stepping to the side with much help from her crutches. "I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Gardner."

"No. You're not." Nathan rested a hand on her hip to keep her from moving before he leaned in to press his lips against hers. She hesitated for a moment before kissing back. They heard a faint noise of doors opening before pulling away quickly.

He pecked her lips once more and flashed her a small smile. "I'll figure this out. Trust me." With that being said, he left to go back to the gym with her following after. She grabbed her backpack and watched the entire team practice.

Much to her surprise, Janelle saw Aaron walk in as their eyes met from afar. She instantly looked away to watch the team run over plays. Nathan walked Aaron's every move as the boy approached Janelle.

"Hey.." His voice was low as she attempted to ignore him. He tapped her shoulder but she instantly moved away from his touch. "What the hell did I do?"

Janelle turned around, anger and irritation once again evident. "What did you do? You saw me get shot! What did you do, Aaron? You left. I was bleeding right there and all you could do was leave? No. I'm done. I don't want to be with a guy who can't even protect me." She moved away from him before feeling a large hand grasp her upper arm in a tight grip.

"Are you kidding me right now? She had a gun. What did you expect me to do?"

She glanced down at his hand before looking deeply into his eyes, the frustration reflecting in her own. "I expected you to at least stay long enough to make sure I was okay. Now, get your hands off of me." His grip tightened as his eyes narrowed. Aaron pulled her close, causing her crutches to fall to the hardwood floor.

"I came here to tell you that I'm with her now. You lay one hand on her and you'll regret it."

Janelle let out a laugh as she rolled her eyes, bringing up the courage to push him away. "I said take your hands off of me. I know the one thing I regret is you. Now let go of me."

"We could've been good together." Aaron finally released her before stepping back and looking her over with a disgusted look.

"Yeah, well, I'm _so_ glad that that's not happening, nor will it ever happen." She turned around and bent down to reach for her crutches before feeling his hands on her butt. "Aaron!" Janelle stood up straight and turned around to slap him across the face, her hand connecting with his cheek.

Aaron tightened his jaw as he pulled on her wrist to bring her flush against his chest. "Get the hell off of me!" Janelle's teammates stopped what they were doing and glanced at them both. Nathan's anger rose as he ran over to them and pulled Aaron away.

"I think it's time for you to go home, Aaron." Nathan resisted the urge to punch the kid in the face, well aware that he'd get fired for that.

Janelle shook her head and grabbed her crutches from the ground and began to walk away.

"Girls, practice is over. I'll see you all tomorrow." Nathan ran up to Janelle as the girls on the team began to leave the gym. "I'm taking you home." He didn't give her any time to respond before he placed a hand on her lower back and began leading her out to his car.

"Mr. Gardner, can you stop? You have no idea how much I hate this place, more so than I did when I first got here. I just- I just want to leave." They reached his car, her back against it as she leaned forward and cried into his shoulder.

Nathan looked around before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. He ran one hand up and down her back soothingly to calm her down. "Shh, it'll be okay, Janelle. It'll be okay." He kissed her temple and reassured her, hoping that she'd be convinced.

However, someone was watching them from afar, a conniving smile splaying on their lips before pulling out of the parking lot and leaving.


	11. Chapter 11

After Nathan had dropped off Janelle, his concern and worry spiked. He parked in his garage, sitting in his car for a moment as he thought. It felt as if someone was watching both Janelle and himself earlier. He couldn't shake the feeling off.

Janelle went straight up to her room with much difficulty. With being crippled, it made doing her daily chores and whatnot almost impossible. She'd usually forget her crutches in her room if she were to walk to the bathroom across the hall. Janelle would hop around everywhere if her crutches were left in her room or some other place. It began to become a drag.

_**Two days later since the incident…**_

Janelle dressed in shorts—the weather being humid—and a floral tanktop with a denim sleeveless jacket. She slipped on her Toms, her leg bandaged up where the bullet had gone through.

"Janelle, it's been a month since the incident and you _still_ don't want this person brought to justice?" Her mother said as she drove her to school.

"No, mom. Just drop it. I've forgotten about it." Janelle lied. Every time she'd look down at her leg, the incident replayed in her mind as if it were supposed to let her relive the day over and over. It hurt, emotionally. Aaron left to be with Ashley. Ashley attended school now and Janelle did her best to look away.

She didn't want to fight anymore.

As Janelle made her way to Nathan's room, his eyes stayed on the door, hoping for his 'favorite' student—in more aspects than one—to enter through the door. He wore jeans that looked rather tight around his crotch area and ankles along with a white V-neck. It was his casual wear.

Janelle took a deep breath before entering his classroom easily. She had mastered the crutches and realized it wasn't as hard as she thought it was before. She kept her eyes downcast as she walked with the help of her crutches, however, Nathan's eyes were glued onto her. He let his eyes wander her body that seemed to show more skin than before.

As the bell rung, his eyes were transfixed on her legs, ignoring the bandage that was wrapped around her thigh. Nathan broke out of his reverie once another student dropped their homework from a couple of days on his desk.

"Mr. Gardner, I know this was due two days ago, but I finished. That counts, right?" Nathan took the paper from him and looked it over, scanning as he glanced every now and again at Janelle.

"Uh, yeah, sure thing. I'm going to have to minus 30% of your homework grade, though. Thank you for turning it in." Nathan nodded towards his student before he walked back to sit at his desk.

The pledge of allegiance was announced over the intercom as Nathan's entire class rose and placed their right hand over their heart. He glanced around to see if everyone stood, their backs facing him as he let his eyes fall to Janelle's bottom. He tightened his jaw and shifted from left to right.

Once that was finished, the entire class sat down in their seats as he removed his glasses to clean it nervously, the muscles on his arms flexing.

Janelle found it hard not to stare. Her teacher looked _extremely_ attractive today, not like he doesn't everyday. The muscles on his arms flexed as he wrote, the breeze coming from the window would hit his abdomen as his shirt stuck to the contours of his abs, add to that, his jeans weren't doing anything for her either.

Nathan was giving a lecture as he walked the isles between his students' desks. He folded his arms across his chest, causing the sleeves of his shirt to tighten around his biceps as his shirt slightly lifted to reveal a small trace of hair that disappeared down his jeans.

Janelle glanced down quickly before she looked back up at Nathan, licking her lips slowly as she shifted in her seat.

"Miss Smith, would you care to tell us about the Holocaust and its significance?" Nathan abruptly called on her, noticing the lack of attention coming from the girl as she looked around frantically.

"Um… Sure, yeah." Nathan nodded, leaning against his desk as he rested his hands on the edge of it, his triceps showing as she tightened her jaw and attempted to stay focus. _Holocaust, Holocaust, right. It shouldn't be that hard_, she thought.

"_And_, I'd like for you to come up here and explain it to the class." Janelle let out a loud sigh before she grabbed her crutches and walked to the front of the classroom. Nathan stayed still before standing just as she turned her back to him, her butt gently brushing against his crotch.

Janelle's breath hitched in her throat as she felt the slightest contact. "Um, the Holocaust." Nathan moved to the side as he attempted to listen to what she had to say, his mind wrapped up around the brief encounter their bodies had.

"You all know the Holocaust, right? Why do I need to explain it if you all know what it is?" Janelle looked at Nathan as she leaned against her crutches. "I mean, really, Mr. Gardner. We're learning it right now. Why don't you explain what it is and the significance of it."

The class looked between Nathan and Janelle as they all wondered if she would get in trouble for refusing to speak.

"Well, that's taking the easy way out, _Miss Smith_. I want you to tell the class. Go on." Nathan motioned towards the class as she let out a heavy sigh and shook her head.

"The Holocaust. It was something with Hitler and Jews, and the U.S. Significance? The U.S. was involved. There. Speech done." Janelle walked back to her seat, setting her crutches to the side as she kept her eyes on Nathan to see his reaction.

The class laughed before ceasing all noises once Nathan's expression changed from interested to angry. "Detention. Lunch and after school. I'll see you then, Janelle."

The entire class _ooh'ed_ as an indication that she was in trouble. "Bullshit. Whatever," Janelle said under her breath as she grabbed her crutches and her things before heading out the door.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked as the class, once more, looked interested more in what was going on now than what was going on in the late 1930s.

"Bell's ringing in five minutes. Since I'm a cripple, I get to leave early. Now, goodbye." Janelle immediately left his classroom with the last word as she headed towards her locker. _Great. Lunch and after school detention with that hot bastard_, she thought.

Second, third, and fourth period went by quickly. Ashley had given her dirty looks or a smirk every time Janelle walked past her. She was disgusted, to say the least. Especially to see Aaron and Ashley all over each other like they were animals.

As Janelle walked by the couple and a few of their friends, she mumbled under her breath. "Fucking gross." Ashley caught her words before she pulled Janelle roughly from the back of her tanktop, causing her crutches to fall.

"Let me go, Ashley."

"What did you say? It's okay to be jealous, you know." Janelle rolled her eyes as she glared a hole straight through Ashley. She moved her eyes to lock with Aaron's as she noticed the sincere apologetic look etched on her features.

"Pathetic," Janelle spat. Without any warning, she received a hard blow in the lower abdomen before her back connected with the metal lockers. She hissed in pain as her legs failed her. She slumped to the floor, only to be brought back up by Ashley's tight grip on the collar of her tank top.

"Would you like to repeat what you said?" Ashley threatened, her friends watching with a smile on their faces and interested looks on their features.

"I said you're pathetic. You like my sloppy seconds, Ashley?" Janelle smirked slightly only to have Ashley's fist connect with her jaw. She groaned in pain before she felt herself being dropped to the tile floor.

Janelle's eyes shot up once she felt pressure on her gun wound as she attempted to push Ashley's foot away. "Leave me alone.."

Ashley dug her heel into Janelle's wound with a smirk to herself. Janelle screamed in pain before Ashley kneeled down to whisper in the other girl's ear, making sure that no one would hear.

"I suggest you keep your relationship with Mr. Gardner lowkey, princess. I'd hate for him to be fired for having a relationship with a student, or even arrested for being with a girl under eighteen." Ashley laughed evilly before kicking Janelle's leg and walking away. Aaron looked back at Janelle with a sense of worry as Janelle lied on her back, her wound bleeding as it seeped through the bandage.

There was a small cut on her lower lip and bruises along her jaw as she shut her eyes in pain. She needed to get out of this place. She couldn't handle it anymore. She couldn't risk the chance of having Nathan fired or arrested, so she lied there in pain as she conjured up ideas to run away.

Nathan sat in his chair at his desk, wondering where Janelle may be. It was ten minutes into lunch and she still hasn't shown up. _She's not that pissed at you_, he thought to himself. He removed his glasses and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes as he sighed heavily.

Minutes later, a few of the girls from the basketball team came running into his room with wide eyes.

"Mr. Gardner, hurry! It's Janelle," Mallory said as she immediately took notice of the teacher's different attire today. "Sh- She's bleeding and unconscious."

Just hearing the word blood, Nathan instantly stood from his chair and followed Mallory and Brynn as they led him to where Janelle was. His breath was taken away as he kneeled down next to her. _Who could have done this?_

"Call the nurse and tell her to call 911. Now!" Mallory and Brynn nodded quickly before Nathan gently lifted Janelle's wounded leg and attempted to remove the bandage. "Fuck.. Stay with me, Janelle." He whispered as he removed his shirt to tie it around tightly around her wound to stop the bleeding. His white wife beater clung to his muscular chest and abdomen as it showed off the muscles on his arms.

The nurse ran quickly to where Nathan and Janelle were. "The ambulance is on their way. I'm glad you added pressure to the wound to attempt to stop the bleeding. It looked as if…" The nurse inspected Janelle's face gently before sighing heavily to herself. "She was beaten up. Anyone have any idea who might have done this?"

Nathan, Brynn, and Mallory shook their heads as they kept their eyes on Janelle. The entire rest of the basketball team came running down the hall to surround Janelle's still body. The principal immediately was notified with the situation as faint noises of the sirens were heard.

"I think we need to install cameras around this school," the principal spoke as she kept her eyes on the girl lying on the tiled floor.

"You think? I tried that. None of the students enjoyed it." Nathan said. He didn't mean for it to be in a harsh tone, but his anger rose by the minute. He couldn't be there for Janelle and it hurt him to know that she was still being beaten. And for what reason? He had no clue.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Ashley! Damn it, why'd you do that?" Aaron pulled his girlfriend aside as he glared at her. "You didn't have to hurt her. You already shot her, damn it!"

Ashley shook her head and covered his mouth with her hands. "Shut up. No one knows that but you and those stupid girls from the basketball team."

"You're a lunatic. Why are we together anyway?" Aaron pulled her hands away from his mouth and took a step back. Thoughts of Janelle and the way he treated her flowed through his mind as he shook his head. "I can't believe I treated her that way."

Ashley let out a laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest, herblonde hair in a bun as she looked at Aaron. "Oh please. You didn't deserve her. She doesn't deserve you. What she did deserve was what I did to her. Now, come on and let's eat lunch." She tugged on his forearm, but Aaron held his ground. He narrowed his eyes at her and tightened his jaw.

"No. We're done. I don't even like you." Aaron shook his head in disgust before walking away from Ashley and heading to where Janelle was at.

Nathan glanced around and spotted Aaron from afar. Immediately, he stood and walked towards the boy. "Who did this? I know you know who did this. Now tell us." Nathan pressed on as they reached the crowd of people surrounding Janelle.

"I- I don't know, sir." Aaron shook with fear as his eyes locked on Janelle's unconscious body. "I- I'm sorry. I don't know. I can't help you."

"That's bullshit, Aaron," Mallory said suddenly as she stood and pushed the boy against the lockers, making a loud noise. The principal stood and separated the two as she sighed, rubbing her forehead with irritation. "Stop it, you two. Now, Aaron, do you or do you not know what happened here?"

Nathan looked intently at Aaron, his jaw tightened as he attempted to calm himself down. He knew Aaron knew something, it was evident in the way the boy fidgeted with his hands and wiped the bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"I do not, Mrs. Wright." The principal nodded and left the boy alone. The entire basketball team shook their heads as Nathan looked at him in disappointment before focusing his attention back to Janelle.

Aaron left the crowd and walked to the lunch tables. He saw Ashley give him dirty looks before he rolled his eyes. He needed to say something soon before Ashley would do something tragic to Janelle.

And he didn't want that. No one did.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A week later…**_

Aaron avoided Ashley at all costs. It'd been a week since what happened to Janelle, and since then, he'd send her texts non stop. The guilt began to eat him alive as he did his best to push it aside.

Janelle finally recovered from her beating _and_ the gunshot wound. However, the bandage was still wrapped around her knee and the bruises and cuts disappeared. She received every text that Aaron had sent while she was away. Every text she received, she would delete. There was no point in hearing him apologize every chance he could get, partly because what he did was not forgivable.

"Honey, be safe, please." Janelle's mother said on the phone.

It would be Janelle's first day back since Ashley suddenly beat her. She dressed in a white strapless sundress that reached her ankles. The humidity increased once summer approached.

"I know, mom. Don't worry. I'm already at school. I'm probably one of the few who's here. I'll see you later. Love you," Janelle replied as she headed inside the school building. The halls were completely empty, various classroom doors open as she sighed to herself.

She grabbed her necessities for class as she started walking towards Nathan's class. As she stepped inside, her eyes instantly found his backside.

Nathan's back was turned as he wrote on the chalkboard for the instructions for class. He was wearing a black shirt that seemed to fit the contours of his muscles, cargo shorts that emphasized his voluptuous backside, and Nike sneakers.

"Ahem…" Janelle smiled to herself as she looked up at him, running her hand through her hair. Nathan immediately turned around at the sound. Once he realized it was Janelle, his eyes lit up and a smile tugged at his lips.

"Miss Smith." Nathan set the chalk down as he walked over to her, letting his eyes trail over her body, the sundress revealing her curves.

"Mr. Gardner." Janelle noticed the way his eyes traveled her body and she blushed intensely as she set her binder down on her desk.

"You're back. How are you feeling?" Nathan leaned against his desk as he kept his eyes locked on hers, feeling some sort of happiness and relief to see her.

"I've had better days, but I got my license. I drive now." Janelle grinned proudly as she took her seat. She crossed her leg over the other and looked up at Nathan, her eyes quickly trailing his body before back up into his eyes.

"Congrats." He smirked, noticing the movement of her eyes as he glanced around, making sure his door was closed and his blinds were covering the room. He stepped forward and placed both hands on the edges of her desk as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "I kind of missed you, Janelle. But you still owe me lunch and after school detention."

Janelle was taken by surprise when she felt his soft, smooth lips against hers, but immediately succumbed to it by kissing back slowly. After they pulled away, she shook her head and let out a sigh. "Do I really need to go to detention? I mean, seriously. It was your fault for making me go up there just so that you can ogle me, like you are doing right now."

Nathan looked down her strapless sundress before immediately looking back into her eyes as he shook his head quickly. "I was not ogling you. _You_ were ogling _me_."

She rolled her eyes and covered her chest with her binder as Nathan flashed her the puppy dog look. "My eyes are up here, not down here, _Nathan_."

He smirked and sat next to her as he kissed along her neck, the slight stubble tickling her gentle skin. Janelle instantly tilted her head to the side as she swallowed deeply, feeling Nathan's hand move underneath her dress.

Janelle shivered under his hand that was now resting on her upper thigh, his thumb running along her inner thigh. "Nathan.." She whimpered quietly as his tongue darted out to taste her skin as he moved his lips to behind her ear, nipping at it lightly before he pulled away.

"Lunch and after school detention, Miss Smith." Nathan said as he stood and walked back to the chalkboard to continue writing as few students began to enter the classroom, the heat already getting to them.

_**Lunch time…**_

Janelle bumped into Aaron and Ashley a few times before lunch arrived. Ashley, however, made sure to send dirty looks every chance she could get, whereas Aaron looked apologetic.

She quickly walked to Nathan's room as the last student left his classroom. Thankfully, the air conditioner was turned on as she wiped the sweat off her forehead and pulled her hair up in a messy bun. "It's lunch. I'm here to serve detention, Mr. Gardner."

Nathan removed his glasses as he shut the blinds completely and walked to his door to close it completely. He turned the lights off, save for one as it gave the room a dimly lit, cool setting.

"Okay…" Janelle arched a brow questioningly as she walked up to the chalkboard and grabbed the chalk. "I'm writing on your board. People have to know who your favorite student is."

"I don't have a favorite, Miss Smith." Nathan took a seat at his desk as he turns his chair, his body facing the chalkboard. Her back was facing him as she wrote on the chalkboard. Nathan let his eyes trail over her once more, resting on the curve of her butt as he swallows quietly.

"Yes, you do. Her name is Janelle Smith."

Nathan took her by surprise as he stood behind her, their bodies radiating heat as she swallowed deeply. She continued to write as he steps forward, their bodies pressing against one another as she immediately felt the outline of his member through his cargo shorts.

He rested his hands on her hips as he leaned forward to kiss along her neck, sucking lightly in various places as he moved one hand to lay flat on her stomach. "Nathan.."

"Shh.." He whispered against her ear as a shiver ran through her and she presses herself eagerly against him. Janelle rolled her hips to create friction as a quiet groan escaped his lips.

His hand moved higher as he rested it at one of her breasts, her breath hitched in her throat as she continued the movements with her hips. She felt him slightly get aroused, the hardening bulge in his shorts evident against her butt.

Nathan's hand slowly massaged her breast through the fabric of her dress as his lips trail along the back of her neck to the back of her shoulder. He used his free hand to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer against his growing bulge as he rolled his hips, desperate for some friction.

"God, I want you right now.." He whispered as he nibbled on her earlobe. Nathan turned her around, his hands moving to rest on her butt as he pulled her flush against him. He leaned forward and kissed her heatedly as Janelle instantly kissed back, her hands threading into his hair as it tangles itself in it.

Just as Nathan was about ready to rip off her dress, someone walked in through the door and caught Janelle and Nathan in the act. Once they realized someone had entered the room, they instantly parted.

"Oh boy, this is good."


	13. Chapter 13

**Authors Note: Just a heads up, there is smut in this chapter.**

* * *

Janelle's heart raced, Nathan's eyes widened, and Ashley's smirk broadened. Nathan and Janelle had just been caught, and by Ashley no less. What were to happen now?

"Ashley, it's not what it looks like," Nathan began, stepping farther away from Janelle as possible and closer to Ashley. Janelle continued to stare at Ashley, oblivious to the fact that a visible hickey was appearing on her neck and to Nathan who seemed to move farther away from her.

"I know what's going on here, and what's going on between you two. I've seen you guys, I've picked up subtle hints. Don't try and act all innocent." She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest and smirked over at Janelle.

"Look, can you leave us alone? I mean, really. You've already caused enough pain in my life." Janelle tightened her jaw as she stared down at Ashley, not caring that she caught her with Nathan. "It looks bad, yeah. But can you blame me, I mean look at him."

Ashley let out a laugh as Nathan smirked, them both looking intently at Janelle. "I'm serious, Ashley. Leave us alone. Please." Nathan could not take his eyes off of Janelle, the slight tent in his pants made it obvious that he was more than turned on at this point.

Ashley turned back to look at Nathan, her eyes wandering over his body before resting at the tent in his pants. Janelle followed her gaze and slightly widened her eyes as she turned into a dark shade of pink.

Nathan arched a brow as he felt both the girls' eyes on him. He swallowed deeply as he took a seat and placed his linked hands on his lap, applying some pressure to the growing arousal as he bit back a groan. "Ashley, Janelle, please leave. I'll speak with the both of you after school."

"No. You can speak to Ashley. I'm done here." Janelle shook her head as she fixed her dress and tightened her jaw as she brushed her shoulder against Ashley, only to have the other girl grab her elbow roughly.

Ashley leaned in close and whispered in Janelle's ear to make sure Nathan couldn't hear. "And what if I get to finish what you didn't get to do?"

Janelle pushed her away and glared intently. "Don't you touch him." She clenched her fists as she shook her head and managed to calm down. "I'll watch practice later, Mr. Gardner. See ya."

Nathan sighed softly to himself as he glanced back up at Ashley. "Okay, what's up?"

Ashley tilted her head slightly to the side, her eyes trailing over his body as she swallowed deeply. She turned on her heel to lock the door before walking up to Nathan with a smirk on her face. "I've always had a school girl crush on you, Mr. Gardner."

Nathan arched a brow as he stood up and let a small smirk splay on his lips. He leaned against the edge of his desk, his arousal still evident as he pulled Ashley closer by the waist. "Have you?"

Ashley smirked and nodded, her index finger running along the V-shape to his V-neck, the tip of her finger touching skin. Nathan needed someone to help him with the arousal in his pants, but instead, he gently shook his head and pushed Ashley away as she started kissing him.

"I can't."

"Why not, Mr. Gardner? Afraid you'll cheat on Janelle? Come on. You both aren't even official, and even if you were, you'd be fired." Ashley crossed her arms over her chest and maintained a smirk; this was just all a part of her plan.

"I would like for you to leave, Miss Adams. And again, I would really appreciate it if what you saw between me and Miss Smith was kept secret. Thank you." He nodded and opened the door for her before shutting it. Nathan made sure the door was locked before sitting at his desk and slowly unzipping his pants.

Some pressure was relieved from his pants and he dropped his boxers to the floor as it pooled around his ankles. He grasped his member in his hand and groaned softly as he stroked himself slowly, his eyes fluttering to a close as he thought of Janelle.

As he reached his climax, he quietly moaned out Janelle's name as he released all over his hand. Nathan leaned against his chair as he breathed heavily.

He couldn't wait for practice because he was determined to finish what he started with Janelle.

**_Practice…_**

Janelle drove to the school, still dressed in the same white sundress except with a long grey cardigan. She grabbed her bag and headed to the gym as she noticed the park deserted except for Nathan's old Chrysler.

As she entered the gym, the girls were beginning practice as they all dropped the basketballs to run over to her. "Well, I missed you guys too." They chuckled as they stepped back and Nathan walked over, smiling softly to himself.

"Okay, girl, now that you've said your hellos to Miss Smith here, continue your dribbling drills."

Janelle smiled at the girls on the team before looking up at Nathan and nodding slowly. "Hey." She put her hair up in a messy bun as he motioned for her to go out in the foyer.

"Look, I didn't mean for us to get caught."

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault. And I'm sure she won't tell."

"How do you know?" Nathan asked, his hand resting against the wall, pinning Janelle into a dark corner.

"Because I just do, okay." Janelle slowly stepped closer, noticing that he was wearing his sneakers, black basketball shorts and the school's basketball team shirt.

"I'm just making sure. I don't want you to get in trouble, and I sure as hell don't want myself to get in trouble as well." His free hand moved to rest on her waist as it ran along her side lightly.

Janelle shivered against his touch as she nodded, leaning into his touch and losing herself in his brown eyes. He leaned in close, his hot breath tickling her ear as he pressed against her. "And I would really love it if we finish what we started earlier at lunch detention, Miss Smith."

She swallowed slightly as she moved her hands to pull him closer by the waistband of his shorts, moving her hand to cup him lightly as he gasped quietly into her ear. "Ooh, so you agree," he smirked and grasped her butt as he pulled her flush against him. "After practice," he pulled back and looked her in the eye, lust and desire evident. "You're all mine."

Nathan smirked and took a step back before walking back into the gym and leaving her there. Janelle sighed softly, her arousal spiked once more as she waited a couple a minutes before walking back in a different direction as to not seem suspicious.

She removed her cardigan to shoot around as she felt Nathan's eyes on her. During the scrimmage game at the last fifteen minutes of practice, Nathan walked over to Janelle and watched her shoot around, noticing the lack of movement from her bad leg.

"Still hurting?" Nathan motioned to her leg as she nodded, tucking the ball under her arm and lifting her dress a bit higher.

"Yeah. It's alright, though. Can't really play on it."

He nodded and watched her shoot, only to miss again. "Well, I guess physical therapy will help." She made a face at the comment which earned her a chuckle and a smile from his part.

"I'm nervous about that. I heard that it hurts, you know. What they make you do."

"You'll do fine, don't sweat it." Nathan flashed her a genuine smile and walked away to watch the game. He looked over his shoulder now and then only to let his eyes wander along Janelle's backside. "Okay, girls, good game. Give me two suicides. Start from baseline to free throw line, back to baseline then half court, you get the idea." They all complained as he blew the whistle for them to start.

Janelle hugged her teammates goodbye until the gym was completely empty. She walked over to the main court and practiced her shooting as she noticed Nathan walk closer and dropping his clipboard nearby.

"You're good with dribbling and all, Janelle, but you need more work on your shots."

"What? My shot is good. My form is good. What's wrong with it?" She arched a brow questioningly and passed him the ball. Nathan caught it quickly and handed it back to her.

"Here, I'll show you should shoot. Just hold it as if you're ready to shoot." Janelle obliged and held the ball, one hand on the front and the other on the side as a guide hand. "Okay, good."

Nathan moved behind her and rested his hands over hers as he pressed his back slightly against her, leaving some space between them. "You know you're supposed to slightly bend your knees." Janelle nodded and smiled softly to herself. "Do just that, except don't flick the ball."

"Alright." As Janelle slightly bent down, he did as well, pressing against her fully. Their hips touched as she does as he said, hearing the swish sound. "Good job." Janelle turned her head, her eyes instantly falling to look at his lips as his hands moved to rest on her hips.

Their eyes locked as Nathan turned her around, moving his hands to rest at her lower back. "You just used that as an excuse to get closer to me."

He smirked and nodded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against him once more. "Yeah, so?"

"Dirty," she hit his chest playfully only to be met with his lips pressed against hers quickly. "Mm.." He pulled away briefly as he glanced around and grabbed her bag. "Come on."

Janelle threw her bag over her shoulder and stuffed her cardigan in her bag as she laced their fingers together. He led her to the his classroom, the room being completely dark. However, he kept the lights off and locked the door. "Nathan, how are we going to see?"

She felt a finger against her lips as he moved the mouse from his computer, the room being slightly illuminated by the dim light. Slowly, he lifted her onto his desk and licked his lips as she crossed her leg over the other.

Nathan shook his head as he spread her legs a bit, lifting her dress higher up a bit, his hands traveling upwards. "Are you okay with this?" His eyes locked with hers, his hands continuing to run up along her legs.

"I'm positive about this. Are you?"

"You're asking me that? Really?" He smirked and kissed her heatedly, their lips instantly moving against one another as his hands lifted her dress up to her hips. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the hemline of her panties before slowly lowering it until it hit the floor.

Janelle trailed the tip of her tongue along his lower lip as he whimpered quietly, parting his lips to grant her easy access. Slowly, she slid her tongue in past his lips teasingly as their tongues finally met, feeling a surge of electricity run through her.

She gasped against his lips as she felt Nathan's finger run along her pulsating heat, her hands moving to his abdomen from underneath his shirt. She lifted it above his head and let it fall to the floor as her hands raked across his bare chest down to his waistline.

Janelle moaned against his lips as he slid a finger in her folds, the arousal in his shorts growing slightly as his member throbs. She tugged down his shorts and boxers as it pooled around his ankles. She pulled away to look down, licking her lips as she slowly grasped his member to stroke him slowly.

A quiet moan escaped his lips as he rested his forehead against her shoulder, his finger flexing and curling before pumping it in a rhythmic motion. Janelle rubbed her thumb on the tip of his member, her palm pressed on the underside of him as she moved her lips to his neck, moaning quietly.

Nathan pushed her hand away and removed his finger, only to dip it into his mouth as he groaned. "God, you taste good. I'll taste you next time." Janelle's heart raced as she licked her lips. _There was going to be a next time?_ She thought.

Nathan tugged down the front of her strapless dress, along with her strapless bra as he massaged her breasts together. She threw her head back and gripped the edge of the desk as he aligned himself at her entrance, his tip running along her opening. Nathan pulled her roughly closer as he entered her slightly, a loud moan escaping her lips.

"Nathan…"

He pulled back to look at her as he entered her completely, somewhat feeling whole. Janelle's grip on the edge of the desk tightened as his hands moved from her breasts to her hips and slowly began to move, causing moans to escape Janelle's lips.

His hips slammed against hers as Janelle elicited a loud, strained moan. Nathan breathed heavily against Janelle's neck, lifting her dress a bit higher as he picked up the pace. Their skin slapped against one another as he sucked and bit down at various places along her neck, leaving slightly visible marks.

Their sounds of pleasure echoed throughout the room as he reached down to rub her in sync with his thrusts. The new added pleasure made her throw her head back and arch her back as she moaned loudly. "N- Nathan.."

Her moans gradually become louder as he thrusted mercilessly into her, his grip on her hips tightening. Janelle's walls slightly clenched around his member as she felt her climax nearing. Nathan instantly picked up the speed and the roughness to his thrusts as he was desperate for release. He rubbed her quickly as he rested his forehead against hers, their eyes locking instantly. "Come for me.." He whispered.

Just like that, Janelle came undone. Her walls tightened violently around his throbbing member as Nathan continued to thrust, moaning quietly against her neck. "Y- your turn.." She ran her hands along his back as he delivered a hard thrust, their skin touching as he released into her. Before he knew it, he forgot to pull out as he breathed heavily against her neck.

Nathan pulled out and smiled up at her through dazed eyes as Janelle matched his same expression. "I wanted to do that with you ever since I was new to your class," she admitted.

He chuckled softly and pecked her lips as he tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Me too. Me too."

_**One month later…**_

Janelle slumped to the tiled floor of her bathroom, tears strolling down her cheeks as she brought her knees up to her chest. She grabbed her phone nearby, thankful that her parents weren't home.

Ever since her intimate encounter with Nathan, she noticed she had been getting morning sickness and her menstrual cycle hadn't arrived yet. So, she decided to buy a pregnancy test and Nathan was the only one she was sexually active with.

She threw the trash away, including the test and headed to Nathan's house quickly. As Janelle arrived, she climbed out, evident that she had been crying as she walked up to his doorstep. She knocked a few times and rang the doorbell once.

Instantly, Nathan opened the door to greet her with a smile as he motioned her inside. "What's wrong?" His smile faltered as he noticed the look in her eyes and the panic etched on her features.

"I'm pregnant."


	14. Chapter 14

Nathan's eyes grew wide as the opened bottle of water dropped to the floor, spilling all its contents.

"Did I hear you right? You said _pregnant_?"

Janelle nodded, stepping aside the puddle on the floor. Her eyes were downcast as she wiped her eyes, evident that she had done some crying the night before.

"Are you sure it's mine, Janelle?" Nathan asked as he closed the front door and walked into the kitchen to grab a piece of paper towel to clean the mess he made. Janelle stood where she was at, her feet practically glued onto the hardwood floor.

"You're the only one I've been sexually active with, Nathan!" Nathan instantly covered her mouth, her back hitting the wall.

"Shh." Janelle's brow furrowed, her eyes showing confusion. She looked into his eyes briefly before averting them to the stairs, seeing a woman with his button down shirt descending the stairs.

"Nathan, who's there?" The woman said sleepily, using the back of her hand to rub her eyes. Nathan sighed heavily, stepping back and releasing his hand from Janelle's mouth.

"It's just a student of mine talking about her grade, honey. I'll be right up." Janelle shook her head, tears resurfacing before she opened the door and left quickly. Nathan walked after her and gently took hold of her wrist. "Janelle, listen.."

"No. Leave me alone. I forgot. We're _years_ apart. I gotta get going." She snatched her wrist from his grasp and walked away without letting Nathan say another word.

Janelle climbed in her car, shaking her head as she cried silently. Nathan kept his eyes on her before running over to her, however, just as he was going to knock on her window, Janelle stuck her middle finger and directed it towards him before pulling out of his driveway. She didn't need this.

She was having a baby, and the worst part about it was it was with her History teacher. A man who is three times her age. What would people think? How would her parents react? However, those questions were far from her mind. What she was thinking about was who that woman in his house was and why hadn't he told her anything in the past month.

_**The next day…**_

Janelle stepped inside Nathan's room ten minutes after the bell that indicated school had started. She was pregnant and she didn't know what to do. She had no support, what else was she supposed to do?

"Miss Smith, you're late," Nathan said as she walked in late through his lecture. He removed his glasses and looked at her seriously; she wasn't showing any signs of pregnancy, but then again, it was still too early to tell.

"I don't give a shit."

The class looked around with wide eyes as Janelle decided to take a seat in the back, her jaw clenched as she avoided Nathan's gaze.

"Janelle, your seat is up here. Now, stop interrupting the class and sit where you were assigned to sit."

"I'll sit where I want to sit, Mr. Gardner.," Janelle glared, their eyes finally locking. She narrowed her eyes as she sat in her seat. "I suggest you continue the lecture, you're wasting your students' precious time."

"I've had enough, Janelle. You're going to the prin—" Without letting Nathan finish, she stood up and grabbed her things before leaving the classroom with the slam to the door.

"Excuse me. Do your book work. I'll be back in a minute," Nathan instructed. The entire class looked between one another in a state of shock as they obliged his orders. Quickly, Nathan left the room and ran after Janelle, realizing that she was heading to leave the school.

"Janelle, get back here."

"No. Fuck you. I'm leaving." Janelle glanced around the halls and leaned forward, her jaw tightened. "And I'm having this baby. You do your own thing, Mr. Gardner, and I'll do mine."

As Janelle began to walk away, Nathan grasped her elbow in a tight grip before turning her back to face him. "No. That baby your carrying is also mine, do you understand me?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Crystal clear. But since I'm the one who has to carry it for nine months _while_being in high school, that decision is mine, and not yours. And what I choose to do is none of your concern. Now, let go of me."

Nathan clenched his jaw before releasing his grip on her. He stepped back and shook his head, hanging it low as he removed his glasses. "You're mad at me because of what you saw the other day, huh? I'm sorry."

"Yeah? Well, sorry doesn't always cut it." Janelle brushed past him, their shoulders bumping roughly as she walked out of the school building, despite the principal yelling her name.

"Miss Smith! Get back here! If you leave the school, you will be suspended!" Nathan walked out with the principal to see Janelle climb into her car. She pulled out of her parking spot and flicked off the two staff members, mostly directing it to Nathan.

"Nathan, you're the only one who can get to her. I'll take over your class," the principal said. Nathan furrowed his eyebrows. He knew Janelle did not want to see him and for that, he agreed to go after her.

"They're just doing book work. I'll get her back. I've been worried about her for a while now." Nathan nodded his thanks towards the principal before running to his car and immediately following Janelle at a reasonable distance.

Janelle pulled up to a nearby beach, mumbling incoherent words under her breath as she climbed out. Nathan arched a brow and parked near her as he waited for her to step out of her car before following her.

"Janelle."

She immediately turned around to notice Nathan as she rolled her eyes. "Leave me alone." She removed her sandals and held it in one hand as the sand seeped through the spaces of her toes.

Nathan gently took a hold of her wrist and turned her to face him, his eyes locked with hers. "Janelle, I'm sorry. Did you really think we'd be together? In that way..?"

"Well, hm, you sort of gave me subtle hints that you did, Nathan. Add to that, I'm pregnant. And the kid is _yours_, so you tell me how that looks like to you."

"Can we go somewhere a little private, please?" Nathan pleaded. His glasses hung at the collar of his shirt as he looked pleadingly into her eyes. However, Janelle shook her head and pulled her wrist from his grasp, refusing to give in to the puppy dog look he always managed to give her.

"No, thanks."

Nathan narrowed his eyes and grabbed her wrist, more roughly this time as he pulled her flush against his chest. "Wha—"

He pressed his lips to hers briefly, pulling away just before anyone can see. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. Can we go somewhere a little private, _please_?" His irritation grew, along with his impatience.

"No. Now, leave. And don't even touch me." She pushed him away none too gently as she walked towards the water. The beach was not as packed as it usually was during the weekend and for Nathan, he was grateful.

Janelle removed her shorts and her shirt, using it to lie down on the sand. Nathan shook his head and walked over to her, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "Nathan, put me down!"

He shook his head and brought them both back to their cars. He set her down on her feet and gently pushed her into his car before he ran to the driver's side and climbed in. "We're talking whether you like it or not. So, if you don't want my hands on you, I suggest you get dressed."

Janelle kept her jaw clenched as she slipped her shorts and shirt back on. She moved away from him as possible as he reached over to buckle her seat belt on for her. "You're being difficult."

"Whatever," she retaliated.

"We're going to my house."

"I don't care."

He sighed and left the beach. Janelle realized that her car was left at the parking lot, but that was the least of her worries. They reached his house quickly and she wasted no time in climbing out of the car. Janelle crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Nathan briefly. "Okay, we're here. Now talk. I'd hate for your girlfriend to walk in on us."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her elbow before opening the garage. As they were situated inside the spacious garage, he closed it and turned the light on. "Okay, you want to tell me why you had this urge to curse at me _and_ flip me off today?"

"It's obvious, don't you think?"

"No, I want you to tell me why, Janelle. You can't obviously think that our brief fling would last, did you?"

Janelle kept her eyes downcast and her jaw set as she stepped back. All she wanted more than anything right now was to run away. Away from this place. Away from him.

"Okay, we're done here. You can either bring me back to my car or I can walk. It doesn't matter."

"You did, didn't you?" He shook his head and quietly stepped forward. "I'm three times your age, Janelle. You're what? Seventeen, eighteen, I'm forty six. By the time you're twenty one, I'll be in my fifties."

"And we're back to square one. I'd like it I left now, Mr. Gardner. I'm wasting my time here. And I don't think I even want to be in your presence, so I'll walk."

"No. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong, Nathan? How about the fact that you've given me subtle hints that you want me, or what about the fact that we had unprotected sex in your classroom? Pick one. I can keep going, trust me."

Just as Nathan opened his mouth to speak, the door that led to the house opened, revealing the same woman that Janelle saw the other day.

"Nathan…?"

"Shit..," he mumbled under his breath as he quickly walked over to her. "It's nothing, baby. I'll tell you everything later."

Janelle felt tears pool around her eyes as she shook her head and laughed bitterly. "I've got to go, Mr. Gardner."

Nathan had to make a decision. Go after the woman he was with, or go after Janelle, the young woman who he began to fall in love with?


	15. Chapter 15

Nathan stood at his driveway, his eyes glued onto the car that seemed to become smaller and smaller as it drove away. He was brought out of his reverie when he felt a petite hand on his shoulder, realizing that he now had to explain everything that has happened to his girlfriend.

"Nathan, what's going on? Your student's pregnant? Who's the father?"

"I don't know. Look, I like you, but this— It's not working," Nathan replied. In that moment, he knew what person he chose. He knew that Janelle was the person that he had fallen in love with, even if it was unethical.

Janelle, speeding through traffic, felt a sharp pain at her lower abdomen. As she pulled over to the curb, blood began to stain her jeans as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. Her eyes shut tightly as the pain increased, her knuckles turning white at the tight grip she had on the steering wheel.

Nathan, quickly jumping into his car, pulled out of his driveway in search for Janelle, determined to have her in his life, and _their_ child. However, he passed a car that looked similar to Janelle's before he stopped abruptly, his tires screeching the black, cracked pavement. As he reversed, he immediately felt something was wrong.

Nathan jumped out of his parked car and ran quickly over to Janelle's car, opening the door quickly. "Ja— Janelle? What's going on?" Nathan noticed the splotch of blood at the inner thighs of her jeans. Instantly, he pieced together what was happening and leaned over to unbuckle her seat belt. "Janelle, sweetheart, let go of the steering wheel. Come on. We need to get you to the hospital."

At the mention of hospital, Janelle quickly shook her head, afraid that they would call her parents. "No… No…" She said through gritted teeth, the pain becoming unbearable.

"Janelle, listen to me. I'll just say you're my daughter. Come on. You're not getting better by dealing with the pain yourself." Without letting Janelle answer, Nathan picked her up bridal style and kissed her forehead. He shut her door with the heel of his foot before quickly walking back to his car. "It's going to be okay," Nathan reassured her, though, in the back of his mind, he didn't know if it was. This was _their_ baby, how was he supposed to react?

Once Nathan had Janelle situated in the passenger seat, he quickly walked around to the driver's side and climbed in immediately. "Where does it hurt…?"

"Everywhere! Damn it, just drive, Nathan!" Janelle yelled, the pain taking over her usual attitude as she grips the arm rest tightly. "Please!"

Nathan nodded quickly, starting the car and taking a U-turn towards the hospital. He broke every speed limit as he drove, not caring about the consequences if he were to get caught. His baby… Her baby… _Their _baby… They lost their baby and even though his main concern right now was to get Janelle safe, the thought of losing a baby nagged at the back of his mind and made him feel somewhat depressed.

"You— You can't tell my parents… Just say that you're my dad…" Janelle mustered out through the pain, the grip around the arm rest tightening until her knuckles turned white.

Nathan didn't say a word as he drove. Instead, he focused on getting her to the hospital quickly, to get her safe and out of pain, to get her in a room so that they could talk, not only about the woman at his house, but also about the baby.

Within hours, Janelle had been admitted to a hospital room, Nathan sitting by her bedside with her hand in his. He took this time to trace the contours of the lines on her palm with the tip of his index finger. He glanced up at her sleeping form, thinking to himself that she must have been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Janelle was given sedatives to remedy the pain she continued to feel. Though, she and Nathan both knew that she had lost the baby.

Once Janelle awoke, Nathan dropped his hand, giving her the distance that she may want. "Wh— Why am I here?" Janelle's voice sounded weak, in fact, her whole body was weak. She was slightly pale, there were bags growing underneath her eyes and her lips were slightly chapped. "Oh no…"

She immediately looked down at her abdomen, resting her hands over it as she felt slight pain from the action. Janelle winced at the contact before tears stung her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Janelle…" Nathan said in a soft tone, attempting to calm her down and soothe her. "Janelle…"

Just as Nathan was about to continue to speak, Janelle shook her head and lifted her hand, her palm facing him as if a sign for him to stop speaking. "No. Stop. Leave. I don't want you here. Don't tell my parents I was in the hospital. Just leave me alone."

Nathan tightened his jaw, his eyes slightly narrowed as he shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving." He reached for her hand and sighed once she moved away from his touch. "This was our baby…" He whispered in a hush tone. Janelle realized his voice was shaky, immediately noticing that not only was she hurt by this entire situation, but so was he.

"I know. Thank you for reminding me, _Mr. Gardner_."

"Janelle, damn it. Knock it off."

Janelle turned her head towards him, the pain in her eyes reflecting against his own. "You hurt me, Nathan… Do you even realize that? You had sex with me and then what? You find another girl to be with? I'm sorry I'm not enough. I'm sorry I can't be that girl that you can show off to your friends. I'm sorry. Now, leave. Please."

A tear trickled from Janelle's eye, falling slowly from her cheek down to her chin. Nathan resisted the urge to wipe the fallen tear away. He knew she needed space, but what she was saying just went through one ear and out the other.

"No. I'm staying. Just rest." Nathan stood up and sat on the edge of her hospital bed, reaching for her hand and taking it into his, despite what she said.

"Mr. Gardner, please. I don't need you here." She lied. It was evident in her eyes that she needed him, she needed him more than ever now.

"Stop lying." He laced their fingers, running his free thumb along the back of her hand as he stared deeply into her eyes. Janelle found herself lost in his brown, captivating orbs, just as it was on the first day of school. "I'll fix this… I'll fix us…" Nathan continued, his voice full of determintation.

"There is no us," Janelle replied blankly, her eyes finally closing as she slipped her hand away from his.


	16. Chapter 16

Nathan looked at Janelle dumbfounded. "What?" He replayed the words in his mind as he shook his head, refusing to believe that what she said was what she wanted. "No."

Janelle arched a brow, a bit confused at what Nathan was trying to say. "Excuse me? Nathan, leave. Please. I'm done with this entire affair, whatever the hell this is."

"No."

"No?"

"No. There is an us. Me and you, Janelle." Nathan took her hand, but Janelle immediately moved away from his touch. Once she looked up at him, she noticed his sad, puppy like eyes looking intently into her own.

"Nath— Mr. Gardner, there is no us. I'm your stude—"

"No, you're not. As of today, you're a senior. So, technically, you're not my student anymore." Nathan nodded matter of factly, taking her hand again, but once she moved away, he shook his head and took her hand anyway. "Stop pushing me away, Janelle."

"I'm not." Janelle said simply before climbing off the bed and walking over to her new set of clothes that she had in her duffle bag.

"Cute ass." He leaned back against his chair, his hands resting on his abdomen as he checked her revealing backside, thanks to the hospital gown. Nathan smirked and bit his lower lip before standing and wrapping his arms around her, pressing her back against him. "Don't go, please," he whispered quietly into her ear.

Janelle swallowed deeply, feeling him press against her from behind. She turned around and pushed him away, shaking her head. "I have to." She grabbed her clothes and slips on her jeans before untying the gown and slipping on a shirt.

As she was going to retrieve her bag, Nathan took a hold of her wrist and pulled her to him. "You don't have to…" He said in a pleading tone, his eyes matching his voice.

Janelle kept her eyes on his, his eyes captivating her like it always has. "I can't do this anymore, Nathan. I just can't."

Nathan pulled her closer to his chest and cupped her cheek, leaning in until they were mere inches apart from each other's lips. "You can…" He said quietly before closing the space and pressed his lips slowly against hers.

Janelle succumbed to the feeling that she had desperately pushed away. This man had affected her in more ways than one; she couldn't just up and leave, partly because not only would she be breaking his heart, but she'd be breaking her own.

"Janelle…" He said against her lips, moving his own against hers slowly, yet briefly before pulling away. Nathan cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her cheekbone and tilted his head. "I— I've never said this before, but I think it's time that I should."

Janelle furrowed her brow, her eyes slightly narrowing as she waited for him to continue. She leaned into his touch and rested a hand over his, turning her head to kiss the inside of his wrist. "What is it…?"

"Well, I l—" Nathan was interrupted when her phone rang. He sighed, stepping back and motioning for her to answer the phone. He wanted to admit that he loved her and was willing to do anything for her, if only he was given a chance.

"I'm sorry, hold that thought, okay?" Janelle grabbed her phone to see it was one of her friends back home calling her. Sighing, she picked up and spoke to him, smiling instantly.

"Yeah, I miss you too. Uh, well, I had a brief fling here. That's over with. Yeah, lasted a month. Oh? You haven't dated anyone since me…?" Janelle spoke through the phone, her heart racing as the boy on the phone spoke to her. "Really? I— Well, you called it off because of long distance… You couldn't do it, Robert. So, I respected your decision and— What? You're here?"

Nathan looked at Janelle with skepticism, his eyes narrowed slightly. Who was this Robert she was talking to and why did it seem like she _wanted_ him more? "Janelle?"

She looked at Nathan, an apologetic look on her face as she continued to speak. "No, Robert. I can't just jump back in a relationship with you. You don't understand. I've— I've met someone. No, you can't know who. And I know you aren't here. If you were, you would have called me a few days ago to let me know. You're not one for surprises."

Nathan slightly perked up once he heard her say that she had met someone. However, he immediately felt somewhat guilty, selfish, and jealous. "Janelle…"

She looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders before speaking. "Robert, stop. I'll— I still love you, yeah, but we can't. I just— I can't go through what you put me through."

Nathan's heart dropped at the confession, taking his keys from his pocket and motioning out the door. "I'll be in the car," he said, void of emotion before leaving her to herself. He couldn't help but feel as if she had broken his heart, but he had no reason to be, they weren't officially together, anyway.

Janelle furrowed her brows in confusion before sighing through the phone. "You're off drugs? Robert, please…"

—

Robert had called Janelle in hopes to get her back. She was the only one who could get her though the addiction that he had with drugs. However, he didn't know what to say to make her believe that he was serious about getting her back.

He was telling the truth when he said that he was in the same state as her, matter of fact, he parked his car right in front of her house. He knew her parents didn't like him, but that gave him all the more incentive to be a better man, a better boyfriend to her. He just needed a chance to prove himself.

"Janelle, I'm here. I'm outside your house. I'm off drugs, or at least I'm trying to. Please, give me a chance. My dad kicked me out and I decided to make a transfer to Western Summit. I'm doing everything I can to get you back, I just need you to give me a chance."

—

Janelle nearly dropped her phone. Why would he come all the way here to tell her this? Oh, right. He wanted her back. "We dated since the seventh grade, Robert. I just— I don't want to get hurt again…"

Robert rubbed his eyes and leaned against the steering wheel, his heart breaking at the sound of her voice. "I need you… More than I ever did, Janelle."

With a sigh, Janelle agreed. Even after the break up, he still had her heart, and the only person who could take that away was Nathan. "Okay, Robert. I'll see you soon, okay? I expect a good explanation for this."

"You got it. I already have everything I want to say written out." With a smile, he hung up the phone and awaited her arrival.

—

Janelle walked up to Nathan's car and climbed in, sighing as she set her duffle bag down. "So, um… What were going to say earlier?" The tension was in the air, she and Nathan could tell. But instead of talking about Robert, she decided to talk about moments prior.

"Huh? What? Oh, it's nothing. Forget it. Who was on the phone?"

"Ex-boyfriend, or boyfriend, I don't know. He came here all the way from California. He's a recovering— Never mind. Can you take me home? Supposedly, he's waiting there for me. We'll find out if he's actually there."

Nathan nodded, deciding to remain silent for the rest of the ride there. Ex-boyfriend all the way from California? He knew he stood no chance against him. After all, he was a forty six year old man whereas this "boy" was probably eighteen. "Is that him?"

Janelle looked at the car parked at the curb, immediately realizing it was Robert. "Y— Yeah… Wow, he's actually here." Janelle kissed Nathan's cheek and smiled, patting the back of his hand. "Thank you so much. Text me when open gym is and when off-season starts."

He nodded her way and watched her climb out his car. Nathan saw Robert climb out of his car and run over to Janelle, picking her up as they both enveloped in a tight hug.

Nathan sighed and drove away. "I love you."


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors Note: If you guys haven't noticed yet, the Robert in this story is also Robert Downey Jr. I've been wanting to write a Young RDJ fic for so long, and I couldn't wait, so I decided to throw him in this one. There is some smut in here, but it isn't as detailed as my past stories. Enjoy!**

* * *

Robert looked her over, instantly smiling. "I — You have no idea how much I've missed you. I'm already a student at Western Summit. _And_, I was wondering… Move in with me. I got a place near the school. It isn't like five star, but it's decent. One bedroom, one bathroom, living room is spacious."

Janelle looked at him skeptically, her brow furrowing. "You're serious."

"Yeah, 'course I am. Come on. You're going to turn eighteen this weekend, you can make your own choices. Please. You're the only reason why I've quit the drugs, Janelle." Robert pleaded, leaning against the trunk of his car and pulling her to stand in between his legs. "School starts next Tuesday, I need you."

Janelle sighed and nodded, leaning in to peck his lips. "Let me talk to my parents, okay? As for right now, I miss you. A lot." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, nuzzling it as she inhaled his intoxicating scent, instantly reminiscing their memories back home.

Robert let a smile line his lips as he links his hands at her lower back, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you too. Dad shut me out, so… I'm here. I went out on a limb here."

"I guessed that. You know how my parents feel about you, Robert. I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best, I promise." Janelle said softly, pulling back only to cup both his cheeks. His eyes had always captivated her in a way that no one ever had, except for Nathan…

Then she immediately thought about the relationship she had with her teacher, former teacher, whatever they were now. Fact of the matter is, he liked her and she felt the same way, but the only difference between Robert and Nathan, she loved Robert.

After a few hours of talking, Robert stayed in his car as he waited for Janelle. She took a deep breath before walking inside, only to see her parents in the living room laughing and cuddling together. With a deep sigh, she stood in front of them and tilted her head to the side, her heart racing in anticipation.

"Robert's here."

Her father immediately stood up, glancing around the house as if in alarm. Janelle shook her head and held his upper arms to cease his movements. "Dad, I'm moving in with him. _I'm_ the reason why he came here. He's going to attend school with me. I'll make sure he'll be fine, I promise."

Her mother sighed heavily and stood up, cupping her cheeks and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I know how happy he makes you, sweetheart. And maybe a fresh start is what he needs to get clean. Tell him he can stop by whenever. I miss that boy." Janelle sighed in relief, all she needed was her father's approval and she'd be leaving tonight.

"Dad, it's just a block away. Right next to the school. Visit me whenever you'd like. I promise I won't do anything bad. You and mom raised me right. Please. He needs me. For once, I want to be there for him."

"Fine. But you call me if anything happens. I need to hear from you every night and every morning. I expect to see you this weekend. Bring him over and invite anyone you'd like. I love you, princess."

Janelle wrapped her arms around her father's neck tightly, burying her face against his neck. It felt like yesterday she was hugging him because of a nightmare she had, and now, she was hugging him goodbye. "I'm not moving a thousand miles away, dad. I'm moving a block over."

He laughed softly and nodding, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Bring him in here."

Robert glanced at the clock and drummed his index fingers on his steering wheel to the quiet music echoing through his car. He turned his head and saw Janelle running up to him and out of instinct, he climbed out, feeling surprised once she wrapped her arms around his neck. "They said yes!"

Robert felt happiness wash over him as he buried his face against her neck, his arms snaking around her tightly. "They said yes…" He repeated, a joyous smile ghosting his lips as he looked down at her once they pulled away. "I love you. I love you. I love you." The seriousness in his voice matched the look in his eyes, noticing how it glistened in the moonlight, his brown eyes captivating her once more.

"I love you too," she said almost instantly without any hesitation. Just as he was going to go in to kiss her, he noticed her father at the doorstep and pulled away, kissing her forehead. "He wants to talk to you. I'll grab my things and we can go to this apartment of yours."

Robert nodded, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together, instantly missing the way their hands molded against one another. Once they approached Janelle's father, he nodded towards Robert and extended his hand for the young man to shake. "I hope you make my daughter happy. You keep her safe, Robert."

"Without a doubt, sir. She's in good hands. I promise I'll never let anything bad happen to her."

After their little talk and after Janelle packed her clothes, she grabbed her pillow and hugged her parents tight before leaving the house. Robert helped her with her things before setting them in the trunk of his car before lifting her up into his arms. "I'm so happy."

Once they arrived to the apartment, Robert climbed out and helped her out of the car, picking her up bridal style as he threw her duffle bag over his shoulder and handed her her pillow. "I hope you like it. It's already furnished. I have a job already and my mom is helping me pay rent. We're going to be fine, baby."

Robert unlocked the door and set her luggage near the coat rack that he had bought and tossed her pillow onto the elongated couch as it faced a decent sized flat screen television. As Janelle looked around, she noticed how _cozy_ it felt, how at home she felt. "Come on." Robert threw her over his shoulder, letting her laughter fill his ears as a small smile splayed her lips. "Bedroom. We can explore tomorrow. I missed you."

Nathan sat in his office, pouring another glass of scotch as he glanced down at the stack of papers that he needed to grade. However, he tossed them to the floor, making the small room slightly messy as he downed the glass as quickly as he filled it up. Grabbing the gun from one of the drawers at his desk, he walked out to his pool deck, ditching the glass and grabbing the entire liquor bottle.

He couldn't get the image of Janelle and the other boy out of his head, the pain that it brought when he saw how happy she was, or the fact that she immediately forgot about him as quickly as they met. Nothing made sense, and at the same time, it did. How can one boy, a previous boyfriend, mean so much to her when he was the real deal?

His entire office was in complete disarray, his head pounding from the amount of alcohol he consumed the night before, but all he could think about, focus on, was the pain in his chest and the way he felt so empty and alone. However, he was broken from his depressed reverie when he felt his phone buzzing from the pocket of his robe. As Nathan glanced down at the text, his heart immediately fluttered when he saw Janelle's name neatly typed out from his phone.

_"Party. This weekend. You're invited. Be there. Or else. Thanks for everything, Mr. Gardner."_Nathan read the text over and over, contemplating whether or not he should reply or just leave it as is. However, he yearned to see how she was doing, who the boy was when he dropped of her off, but most importantly, he just wanted to tell her that he loved her and was falling more in love with her. Though, how can he do that when her "ex-boyfriend" moved here? Exactly. He couldn't. Not only would he ruin his relationship with Janelle, he'd also ruin her relationship with this Robert boy.

_"Uh, yeah, sure thing. See you there."_Nathan kept it simple, knowing that if he had added more, he'd have poured his heart out to her and he didn't want to do that, especially not over a text message.

The next few days, Robert and Janelle spent every minute together, literally. She had gained the freedom that she always wanted, and now that she was living her _own_ life with him, she couldn't have had it any other way.

"Baby, your birthday is tomorrow. And I know we're supposed to give you gifts tomorrow, but I can't wait. Close your eyes." Janelle arched a brow, but willingly obliged as she used both of her hands to cover her eyes. As she peeked through the spaces of her fingers, Robert laughed and shook his head, pecking her lips lightly. "Close them or else I'll have to use my ties to do the job for you."

"Kinky." Janelle smiled and heard his laughter fill her ears. "I'm an impatient woman, Mr. Downey Jr. You should know that by now."

However, just as she finished her sentence, he removed her hands and presented her with a large velvet box, slowly opening it to reveal his name as a pendant along the gold chain. "People need to know that you're mine… And check this out." Robert removed the necklace from the box, turning it around to see an inscription written neatly along the back of his name. _You and me. That's all that matters in life._

Janelle felt her eyes water, covering her mouth as she glanced from the present and back to him. "Robert…" Though, before she could say anything else, she felt him sit behind her, moving her hair to one shoulder before kissing the back of her neck.

"I love you. You mean the world to me, Janelle." He put the necklace on her with ease, letting his thumbs brush against her skin as he nipped at the side of her neck gently. "And I suggest we get some sleep before I take advantage of you, because you look _absolutely_ beautiful right now."

"Shh." Janelle laughed softly and turned to face him, pushing him gently on his back. Robert stared up at her with an amused expression on his face, his hands instantly resting on her hips.

"Are you sure?" Robert asked, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as he felt her create friction with the roll of her hips. "You're sure."

"I love you, Robert." Janelle whispered, reaching over to grab a condom and lifting it up so it was eye level with Robert. "I'm sure. And I trust you. I'll be eighteen in approximately two hours. I want this."

Robert grinned, pulling her in for a deep, passionate kiss, his hands wandering as he gently rolled her onto her back. Within a few moments, clothes were ripped from their bodies, hitting the floor noiselessly. Strained whimpers and moans escaped Janelle's lips as she felt Robert's hands wander along her bare body, feeling his lips graze over the sensitive spots that he knew she loved.

This wasn't just meaningless sex, no, this was an intimate moment they shared together. They were making love and she couldn't think of anyone to share it with, but Robert.

And maybe Nathan, but he was far from her mind at this point.

As Robert slid into her with ease, they both let out a moan, their eyes locked as Robert laced his hands with hers and placing them at either side of her head. "I love you," he mumbled breathlessly, his hips moving in sync with hers as the sensational pleasure began to drive her to her edge.

"I love you too," Janelle said through a quiet moan, their eyes never leaving each other. Every movement, every sound, every word filled the dimly lit, quiet room. Both Robert and Janelle became breathless, sweat building at his brow as he kept their hands locked. With each thrust he took, he made sure to make it slow, yet rough, knowing exactly just the way she liked it.

As they both reached their peak, they moaned out each other's name before their lips pressed against one another in a passionate kiss, full of emotion and nothing but. Robert held her close afterwards, whispering sweet nothings to her.

"I think you're it, Janelle. You're the one."

"What?"

"I want to marry you. Maybe not now, of course, we're still in high school, but when we're finished with college, and I'm a successful actor, and you're a successful photographer, I want to marry you." His brown captivating eyes glinted against the moonlight that shone through the window. "I can't imagine my life without you in it. I've lived a year without you, I don't want to try again."

Janelle couldn't help the way her heart beat rapidly, listening to his words intently. A small smile lined her lips once he mentioned something about him being an actor and her being a photographer. "You know, I feel _exactly_ the same way. And I kind of missed your gapped teeth, by the way. Just thought I'd say that."

Robert chuckled softly, collecting her into his arms as he draped the blanket securely over their bodies. He reveled in the way she fit perfectly in his arms, the way her scent made his eyes flutter, and the way her smile would always make his dark days brighter.

_Her birthday party..._

Janelle dressed in a strapless white tube top with a black ankle length skirt as it was secured just above her waist, buckling it with a thin, brown belt. Slipping on her sandals, she kept her down and wavy, looking at herself in the mirror and noticing it went past the middle of her back.

Robert dressed in black jeans and a white V-neck that managed to cling to all his muscles. He noticed her at the corner of his eye and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, burying his face against the side of her neck. "You look absolutely beautiful, baby."

She snuggled closer from behind, wrapping her own arms around his own as she smiled sheepishly. Janelle looked at him from the mirror and turned her head to kiss his cheek. "And you look absolutely handsome."

"Are you kidding? I'm only wearing a V-neck and jeans."

"Yes, but look at how this shirt clings to your muscles. You look hot." Janelle wiggled her eyebrows together, turning in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"And I love you," he chuckled, pecking her lips. "Let's go. Your guests are waiting."

Within thirty minutes, Janelle and Robert reached her house, seeing the backyard fence wide open and a few guests arriving. She stayed close to his side, his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulder as their hands were laced together, her free arm wrapping around his lower back. She could smell the aroma of the barbecue hit her senses, the music playing in the background and laughter as well.

"Happy birthday!" The guests said loudly, grins on their faces as Janelle laughed softly. She buried her face against Robert's side before they walked over to her parents. She released him only to hug her dad and mom.

"Thanks. It means a lot." Janelle said softly, feeling Robert's hand lace with her own loosely. Once they were finished with talking, she led Robert to where the food was, grabbing him a plastic plate with a hamburger on it and a hotdog for herself.

However, as they were eating at one of the picnic tables, she felt a finger tap her shoulder, turning around and seeing Nathan wearing casual clothes; brown cargo shorts and a Black Sabbath shirt with sneakers.

"Nath — Mr. Gardner!"

Nathan smiled slightly, taking notice of her clothing before noticing the same boy he saw just a few days ago. "Janelle." Her smile instantly made his heart skip a beat, it seemed like forever since they saw each other.

"Hey." Janelle took him by surprise when she climbed out of her seat and wrapped her arms around him tightly, enveloping him in a tight hug. "You were scared about the or else part of my text message, huh?" She pulled away slightly, noticing his eyes were red and slightly puffy. She kept her hands around his upper arms, reveling in the muscle under her fingertips as his hands rested on her hips casually.

"Oh, yeah. Uh huh. That was it." Nathan smiled down at her, looking away briefly once he noticed the confusion spread over her features.

"You okay?"

"Great. I'm fine. I'll be over there. Getting food. Talk to some women around here." Nathan said in an attempt to get her jealous. However, he said it casually, releasing her only to take a step back.

"Oh... Yeah, women." Janelle cleared her throat, her smile faltering slightly. "Um, I'll talk to you later, okay? Maybe I can change and we can have a basketball game later."

Nathan shook his head, running his hand through his hair as he glanced away from her. "No, thanks. I'm about to head out."

"You said you were going to talk to the women here."

"Changed my mind." Nathan tightened his jaw, scratching behind his ear as he noticed the way worry and concern etched on her features. "Look, I'm fine, we're fine. You seem happy."

Janelle shook her head and motioned him to meet her in the front of her house before walking over to Robert. She kissed her temple and smiled down at him happily, almost forgetting about Nathan. Almost. "I need to talk to my teacher. Seems that I have a missing assignment that can cost me my grade," she said, hearing him chuckle.

Nathan sighed and leaned against his car that was parked across the street, his eyes remaining downcast. What was he thinking? He couldn't help but feel left out, lonely, even when she was right there in front of him. He couldn't shake off the feeling of being the _other_ man in this situation.

Janelle crossed the street and looked up at him, arching a brow as she rested her hands on her hips. His demeanor managed to change quickly in the span of two days, and she was determined to find out what really was going on. "You seem... Off, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Look, happy birthday. I've got to go. School starts on Monday and as a teacher, I need to prep for the new school year."

"Oh, please. Knowing you, you probably are ready for the school year to start. You don't like doing things last minute. Now, cut the crap. What is wrong, Nathan?"

"Oh, so now I'm Nathan? Just five minutes ago, I was Mr. Gardner. What the hell are we to each other?" Nathan took a step forward, wrapping his had around her bare upper arm as he pulled her closer. "We just lost a baby... Did you forget about that? You had a _fucking_ miscarriage, and you're happy? Forget it."

Janelle was taken aback by the forwardness, her eyes slightly widening as she stared into Nathan's eyes, immediately noticing the pain that he held within his brown depths. She glanced down at his hand before shaking her head, pushing him away, but keeping a close distance between each other. "Stop. What the hell is wrong with you? You think I could forget? Just like that? Newsflash, Nathan. I heard it helps if you don't dwell on the past."

"It was two fucking days ago! You call that the past? Who the hell is that guy in there anyway? You know what, never mind."

"He's my boyfriend. We've been dating since the seventh grade. Six years. And the only reason why we broke up in the first place was because I moved. Now you know how it feels when I saw you with that woman the other day. At least _I_ told you about who he was and I didn't hook up with him after we screwed each other."

Nathan tightened his jaw, rolling his eyes as he leaned back against the hood of his car. "You don't get it."

"I don't? Then enlighten me, _Mr. Gardner_ . I want to know what the hell is going on with you."

"I love you!" Nathan said, loud enough for her to hear. "I love you, damn it. And I can't... I don't know what to do."

Janelle widened her eyes, clearing her throat as she looked at the man that she managed to fall in love with over the span of a school year. But how can she admit that she loved him when she also loved Robert? Was it possible to love two men? No. It wasn't ethical.

"Nathan..." She started, her tone and eyes apologetic. But, before she could even begin to speak, Nathan shook his head, waving his hand for her to stop.

"No. I don't want to hear it. I was going to say that I was falling in love with you that day you were in the hospital. I understand. Thirty years apart, right?" Nathan shook his head and climbed into his car, starting it and wiping his eyes of the tears that clouded around his eyes. "I'm sorry. Happy birthday. Open gym and off season starts tomorrow. Bye."

Without any word, Nathan left as quickly as he came, his heart managing to shatter into pieces all over again. Janelle stood at the sidewalk dumbfounded as her thoughts began to scatter all over the place.

"It can't work out... I'm sorry, Nathan," she mumbled to herself before running back to the party and instantly clinging to Robert.


	18. Chapter 18

Robert and Janelle had no problem living on their own. Sure, they had their fair share of arguments, but usually both would apologize, leading to a night worth's of cuddling or even a few lingering hands, but Robert knew that taking things slow would be better for the both of them.

When school begun, Janelle was grateful for every class that she and Robert had. Ashley was jealous. It was evident and she could see the hunger, the revenge practically, burning in her eyes. Robert knew of her, of course he did. And whenever Ashley attempted to get his attention, Robert just waved her off as if she was the last person he wanted to see or speak to. No one was ever going to hurt _his_ girl anymore.

But Ashley knew something that no one else did.

Ashley remembered what she walked into that day, seeing Nathan fondling Janelle and Janelle leaning into his touch and kisses as if they had done that a million times. She knew things that Robert didn't know, and that was bad.

Very bad.

Passing by Nathan's classroom, Robert's arm wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulder, Janelle caught a glimpse of Nathan's backside when she glanced in the direction of his room. "Let's go say hi to him." She dragged Robert inside and knocked on the door lightly, seeing Nathan turn around slowly.

Hm. Casual look. Clothes that showcased his muscles nicely. "Well, Coach, I'd say you're trying to impress a woman in this school."

Nathan bit back the urge to say something completely inappropriate and Janelle caught on by the glint in his eye.

However, a few weeks prior, the younger woman didn't, no couldn't, forget about those three words that her former teacher and present basketball coach had confessed. _"I love you, damn it!" _That wasn't possible, was it? It wasn't ethical, but when was Janelle ever ethical?

"Eh. What can I say? My daughter gave me a few tips. I've actually gotten a few numbers this morning when I stepped into the office. Who knew, huh?" Nathan decided to play this little game; pretend that they both didn't care. He noticed the slight tightness in her jaw and the fire in her eyes that read jealousy. But it quickly vanished as it appeared.

"Congrats, old man. Finally getting some numbers." Robert was… Well, he was amazed, to say the least. The interaction he was witnessing wasn't something he usually saw between student and teacher. No. It felt… It _looked_ like there was something more personal, something more… Familiar with the way the two were acting; he just couldn't put a finger on it.

"Practice. Today at six. Be there, superstar." Huh. That was new. Janelle couldn't help but smile at the new nickname and nodded, itching to give him a hug, but refrained.

"Got it, coach." Without another word, Janelle turned away from him, Robert following after he stared the other man down. He was jealous over a man who knew wouldn't dare touch Janelle in a way that he could.

"He likes you. And I mean, _likes_ you. A forty something year old man likes you. And I'm jealous." Robert admitted. Janelle furrowed a brow, slightly out of fear that he knew what was going on and slightly in confusion. Why would he be jealous? Oh, that's right. Janelle felt somewhat the same.

"Hey…" Janelle cooed, cupping his cheeks as they stopped walking. "I love you. We're going to marry each other, have kids, the whole American dream, remember?" That's when Robert's lips turned up into a smile.

Oh, he definitely remembered.

When school was over, Robert decided to accompany Janelle to her practice after studying with her at Starbucks, which luckily, was just a couple of blocks away. Sure, they distracted each other from time to time, but with the amount of classes they had together, it was easy to understand what they were learning. Especially when Robert knew more math and history than she did.

Needless to say, Robert was on the track of a better future and Janelle couldn't be more proud of him.

Being the first ones there, Robert decided to play a little one on one, knowing that he'd end up losing anyway. "Winner owes the loser a massage when we get home."

"Deal," Janelle replied, passing him the ball. They were hardly playing real basketball, it was more like… Playful flirting on the basketball court with a basketball involved. When Janelle shot, Robert snuck behind her and wrapped his arms around her, smacking the ball out of her hand.

"Baby…" Janelle erupted in soft laughter when she felt his fingers run along her sides, tickling her and causing her laughter to filter throughout the gym. However, their little act of flirting quickly ceased when Nathan walked in with the rest of the girls from the team. "You owe me a massage later. I love you. Watch my stuff. Don't spam my phone with pictures, you dork." Robert smiled, reveling in the way she knew him so well.

"I love you too, babe." Giving her a quick kiss, he caught Nathan's lingering eyes and narrowed his own in slight confusion and jealousy. Janelle pulled her hair up into a ponytail, running over to Nathan and the team as her eyes always averted back to Robert.

Nathan was jealous. He was determined to fight for Janelle, even if that meant destroying his career.


	19. Chapter 19

**Warning:** There is some sexual activity and force going on in this part. So, read at your own risk. Enjoy!

* * *

The next few weeks, Janelle could notice something was wrong with Nathan. He wasn't there during open gym and when she stopped by at his class to see what was up, he had a sub.

Was her relationship with Robert _really_ affecting him?

After a few weeks, when practice was over and she was finished her own set of drills, Janelle heard a few doors close, followed with footsteps that seemed to only get nearer. Of course, she was the only one left in the gym, and that alone was a scary thought.

Besides, she was supposed to pick up food for herself and Robert and if something were to happen to her, Janelle was sure that Robert would catch on.

"Hello?" She called out, draping her sports bag over her shoulder. Though, Janelle watched enough of horror movies to know that walking closer to the noise is most likely the worst possible scenario, so instead of moving forward, she was moving backwards, towards the back exit. "If you're here to hurt me or something, I suggest you leave. My boyfriend will know –"

However, Janelle was interrupted with a slur of words, followed by a Nathan Gardner with his button shirt untucked, wrinkled, and a few buttons undone, with a bottle of liquor in his hand, and his hair completely disheveled. "Boyfriend, blah, blah, blah. Who caresssss about your – your _boyfrieeeend_."

Nathan was drunk and Janelle was terrified.

"Nathan, you're drunk. How about I call you a cab and get you h –"

"No! I do not want a cab! I do not want to go home!" Nathan threw the empty liquor bottle aside, the sound of the glass shattering against the hardwood floor causing Janelle to cringe. "I want you! I have always wanted you!" And now, the slur tone of his voice disappeared. What really was he saying?

"Okay, see, you don't get to do this to me. Shall I refresh your memory on how this is _your_ fault? We're here because of you! Not me. I just decided that pursuing you was a waste of my time!"

Within seconds, Nathan grasped her arm in a tight grip, unaware that he was actually imprinting his fingers into her skin. "Nathan, let go. You're hurting me."

"Good. Maybe you should feel the hurt that I'm feeling right now! I'm drinking. I started drinking again because of you! I'm thinking of – of killing myself because of you! Do you want my death on your hands, Janelle?! Huh?! Do you?!"

In that moment, Janelle brought her hand to connect with his cheek, the impact echoing throughout the empty gym. By now, tears were already stinging her eyes and she didn't know what to feel. Should she feel rejected and just used or relieved that she could move on now?

No. How could she? He just admitted that he was thinking of killing himself because of her decision. But, that wasn't fair. Nathan treated her the same way the first time they met and did she get to break down like this? No.

Nathan immediately released her arm, still unaware of the marks he left on her arm. The slap either made him come to his senses or make him even angrier. Suffice to say, it was the latter. Grabbing her roughly by the wrist, he pushed her against the wall. The anger was soon replaced with lust, desire, and need. Definitely need.

Janelle shook her head, but made no effort in stopping his movements. Was it wrong for her to let him use her in a way to make him feel better? Yes. Was it wrong for her to actually anticipate what was going to happen? Yes. Was it wrong for her to actually want this? Yes.

She was going to allow this to happen and in the end, she knew she would regret it. But right now, Janelle was going to let this happen, not only for her sake, but for Nathan's as well.

"We can't…"

"We can," Nathan whispered, his face dangerously close to hers and their lips literally only a few inches apart. "We can and we're doing this. You're going to scream. You're going to scream my name and I'm going to make you come until you're shaking with pleasure, do you understand me, _superstar_?"

Janelle shivered. Damn. That was hot, but she shook her head. She was cheating on Robert, or rather, about to cheat on Robert. "And if I don't…?" She challenged.

"Then, I'm going to come back tomorrow and do this over again until you do. But believe me, you will. Tonight, you're going to be at my mercy." Taking her wrist, though, this time, keeping up a gentle grip rather than a rough one, he pushed her gently into his office in the boys' locker room. There weren't any cameras, no windows, just a door that would allow one person to leave or enter the room.

There was no excuse that someone would catch them.

"Get on your knees," Nathan demanded, growling as he stared at her. He watched her stand still, making no movement in obliging his demand. So, instead, he stepped forward and took her bag from her shoulder, tossing it to the door and making sure it was locked. "On. Your. Knees."

Janelle narrowed her eyes. How can she make herself seem like she didn't want it, but at the same time, enjoy herself? Easy. Continue to piss him off; the more angry he is, the more pleasure she will receive. "No."

Nathan growled once more, and damn, was it hot. Pulling her by her shirt, he didn't know whether to push her down onto her knees or rip her clothes off. He went with the latter.

Removing her shirt, he tossed it aside before tugging her shorts down roughly. He growled once he saw that she was wearing spandex underneath, spandex that were literally up to her thighs. Turning her around, he looked down at her backside, groaning lowly as he brought his hands to caress her gently, causing a whimper to escape her lips. "Damn, Janelle."

Janelle whimpered, moving away from his touch, though, within moments, leaned back in. His touch was causing her eyes to roll back, and this was only his soft touch, imagine the rest.

"I'm not getting on my knees," she mumbled, though, let a devious smile splay her lips.

"That's okay, I'll make you." When he was finished stripping her from the rest of her clothing, Nathan couldn't help but take a step back to admire her natural beauty. Sure, they might have done this before, but that was in the dark, this time, he had the light of the lamp to illuminate her natural self.

Nathan pushed on her shoulders, causing her to kneel down as he stroked her hair back. "I'm sure you do this to your boyfriend a lot, what's his name? Roger? Whatever, I don't care. But I want to do this. I want you to do this to me. I want you to enjoy it, though, I'm pretty sure you already are. I want you to make me feel loved…"

That last sentence caught her off guard. How could she do that if she wasn't even sure if she felt the same way? Though, regardless, she did what he asked. If this was going to cease his thoughts of suicide, then she might as well do it, just to save his life.

Feeling her lips move along his bulge through the fabric of his jeans, Nathan groaned, tipping his head back in pleasure. Her lips hadn't even touched his skin yet and he was already shivering with the pleasure.

When he lowered his boxers and jeans, Janelle couldn't help but clear her throat. It was definitely different when she was up close with his member rather than before. And it was completely wrong of her to compare whose was exactly "bigger," Nathan's or Robert's. Shaking her head from that thought, Janelle grasped his member in a soft, yet firm grasp, feeling the warmth radiating through her hand.

"Ooh…" Nathan gasped, her hand causing his hips to jerk only slightly, his tip brushing against her lips. To her, that was an indication for her to at least part her lips slightly.

Just with the strokes her hand was doing was enough for Nathan to say that he was ready. Pulling her up roughly, he set her on his desk, smirking when he splayed her legs far enough for him to settle between them. "You're so hot."

Nathan rolled on a condom, remembering that even a minor slip up could cause another pregnancy, which may also lead to another miscarriage, and he didn't want that. Rubbing his tip along her moist heat, he smirked.

"I knew you were enjoying this. Why are you wet, hm, Janelle? Tell me." He pulled his hips back, and instead of his tip running along the length of her heat, his thumb replaced it. He gently rubbed at her bud, causing a moan to escape her lips, and he could have sworn, the noise that escaped her lips were music to his ears.

"I was thinking of my boyfriend, you asshole."

Nathan narrowed his eyes, pulling his hand away to grasp his member and align it with her opening. "I'm sorry, do you want to run that by me again or think of another answer to tell me, sweetie?"

Janelle hid the mischievous grin that wanted to splay along her thin lips. "No, thanks. I'm pretty sure I didn't stutter and I'm pretty sure what I said was true."

Without warning, he slammed into her, causing her to arch her back and moan in pain, rather than pleasure. She wasn't exactly sexually active and she and Robert never really had weekly sex, it was a rarity when they did. So, suffice to say, Nathan didn't give her enough time to adjust, and that was his complete intention.

Feeling the tightness of her walls was enough of a confirmation for Nathan to know that her sexual life wasn't as active as he thought it was. When his hips slammed into hers, her comment still frustrating him, he didn't show any signs of ceasing his rhythmic, slamming thrusts nor did he show any signs of stopping soon.

Her moans filtered the room, followed with the slapping of their skin and his own set of growls and groans. Though, when he felt her walls tighten even further around his member, he couldn't help but erupt into her, luckily, with the condom present, he had nothing to worry about.

"Mm…" He shivered, his hips jerking slightly against hers before pulling out. Nathan tossed the condom into a trashcan, making a mental note to throw it away before he left.

Was he drunk now? Not even close.

They both dressed once more, looking at each other with lingering stares or glances, but never really making any noise or attempt to speak to the other. Though, she knew as well as he did that what just happened was bound to come up in a conversation.

She just knew, partly because she wouldn't be able to handle the guilt of what she just did. Janelle just cheated on her boyfriend and if he found out, not only would he be devastated, but she knew he would go back to his ways with drugs.

But what could she do? Save her teacher's life or save her boyfriend's? That was a decision she was going to have to make. Soon.


End file.
